Good Girl Gone Bad
by BlondeAmbition25
Summary: Like many of you all, I left the midseason finale craving more Klaroline. This takes place where 4x09 left off: Klaus' tirade of retribution continues, and he won't be satisfied until he's taken everything Tyler Lockwood has left. AU post mid-season finale
1. Chapter 1

Caroline sat with Stefan, each with a fresh glass of Scotch in their hand.

"It's over. The Elena I knew is dead…and Damon? He might as well be dead too."

"But there's still hope Stefan, the cure. There's still a chance for her"

"I don't know anymore Caroline, how can I look at her the same knowing what she did with Damon? I lost her when I flipped the switch, I should have seen the signs before, I just gave myself the false hope that she was still holding a candle for me and I could win her back. The sire bond is an excuse, denial for what has been true all along. My weakness drove her into his arms, and I can't blame him for that. He protected her when I couldn't, he was there for her when I wasn't."

"Stefan, Elena is confused right now. She's still adjusting to being a vampire, how she feels, the impulses she has. It hasn't been that long for me, I remember the constant daily torment, maybe you don't."

"I remember"

"The difference is she may have a choice. If we find the cure, we can give her the life back she deserves and spare her from this. You can't give up hope, if you do then Damon wins."

Caroline felt a buzz at her side and quickly picked up the phone when she saw Tyler's name flash across the screen.

"Tyler?"

"Caroline! Thank god you're all right! They're all dead, every single one of them I don't know what to do, Klaus has gone off the deep end, it was all a trap"

"Tyler, slow down! What happened?" Stefan looked up at her with concern

"Haylee set us all up. Something about a sacrifice and that they needed 12, she told Klaus that I had broken the hybrids sire bond and was planning to take him down. She left them out in the open like lambs to the slaughter, and Klaus killed all of them."

"Oh my god. Tyler you have to hide, or go somewhere safe, does anyone know where he is now?"

"No."

"Come to Stefan's as fast as you can, take side roads, we'll figure out what to do"

"I love you Car"

"I love you too." Caroline lowered the phone to her side and pounded the rest of her scotch. She looked up at Stefan who was anxiously waiting for the rundown. She filled him in on everything Tyler had said while he paced back and forth in front of the fire.

"Wait, a sacrifice of 12? Where have I…? I have to call Damon." Tyler appeared in the doorway and gave Caroline a long embrace and kiss. They sat on the couch, hand in hand, until Stefan came back into the room.

"Damon's on his way. We think we have an idea what's going on here, but we'll have to hide you until we can talk some sense into Klaus. He's flown off the handle, and his retribution will be swift and unforgiving. Do you have anywhere safe you can go in the mean time?"

"Oh I don't think _that_ will be necessary" a smooth British voice called from the hallway.

"Klaus."

"By the way, I wouldn't bother calling mommy dearest, I have a feeling she won't be picking up the phone anytime soon" an evil grin spread across Klaus' face, still smeared with the blood of his victims.

"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!" Stefan and Caroline held Tyler back while Klaus chuckled and sauntered towards them. His expression quickly changed from amusement to cold and stoic, and he froze in place.

"You took everything I had. I'm only returning the favor"

"He was set up, that bitch Haylee is the one you should really be after!" Caroline shouted back at him while Tyler sobbed for the loss of his mother behind her.

"Ah yes, I heard. I'll deal with THAT little wolf later. But she did not work alone, did she? Who encouraged the others to break their bond? Who established himself as the alpha? Who took it upon himself to undermine his creator?"

"And you killed Carol, you took everything he has left, so you've had your revenge" Stefan protested back.

"No, not everything." Klaus breezed past them behind Tyler and sunk his fist deep within his chest. A smirk slowly spread across his face and Caroline began to shutter.

"I have a proposition for you: Caroline will stay with me in my estate and do as I wish until I deem appropriate to release her. In exchange, I will let Tyler here live. And if one of you even so much as THINKS about trying to test me, I will rip his heart out without blinking an eye."

"Caroline, NO!" Tyler shouted as Klaus twisted his fist around his heart.

"FINE! I'll do it! Just leave him alone!" with a large grin Klaus released Tyler and he fell to his hands on the floor.

"See now? That wasn't so hard was it? Oh, and Tyler lad, don't even think about trying to split town. I'll hunt you down and tear you from limb to limb, then return to slaughter the rest of your friends." Klaus held his hand out towards Caroline and smiled.

"Come on love, time to go," Caroline apologetically looked back at Tyler and then took Klaus' hand


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for all the feedback! I hope you like the next chapter!

Caroline found herself speedily rushed to the front of her house, and looked over at Klaus in confusion.

"You have 15 minutes to pack your bags and explain to your mother where you will be going. And don't keep me waiting" Klaus gave her a stern look and then released her hand.

Without hesitation Caroline rushed up to her room and began grabbing handfuls of clothes and throwing them into bags. There was no time to process Carol, Tyler, or anything that had happened. The past few weeks she had begun to soften to him, to feel sympathy and believe he was capable of feeling. They had all let their guards down and seemed to forget about the past, about what he was truly capable of. Now he was reminding them all.

The tears came without warning, and she tried to wipe them away in the midst of all the chaos. She finished off with her favorite stuffed bear and a picture of her and Tyler before what they thought would be the homecoming dance. As she finished zipping the last bag, she heard a voice at the door.

"Honey, what's going on?"

"Mom, I don't have a lot of time. I have to stay with Klaus or else he's going to kill Tyler. He's already killed Carol" Sheriff Forbes winced and put a hand to her mouth in disbelief.

"Carol's dead?" she asked fighting back tears.

"Yeah" Caroline croaked back, wiping away her own recently formed tears.

"We'll get you out Caroline, we'll figure out a way, I can't lose you" Liz choked out.

"He won't hurt me mom, somehow, I know he won't. Stefan can explain the rest. Please just let it go for now, I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you or anyone else. I'll talk to you soon." The two embraced and Caroline composed herself before quickly running down the stairs and to the front of the house. Klaus was facing across the street, studying the rest of the neighborhood with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"I'm ready" she spat out as he turned back and faced her, looking down at his feet and then up again in her direction.

"Good girl, and with minutes to spare! Let's be on our way then"

Once they arrived they ascended the stairs in the rotunda and Klaus led her to an empty room on the east wing of the mansion. The room was filled with red and gold tapestries, beautiful paintings, and ancient relics. Like most of the house, crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings and marble covered the floors.

"Now, allow me to set down a few ground rules. You will continue to attend your mundane high school classes and function within Mystic Falls the same as before, we wouldn't wish to upset the status quo. As I already mentioned, you will do as I say and stay here with me until I allow otherwise. Any failure to abide by these rules will result in the potential demise of your beloved Tyler"

"Why are you doing this? If you really wanted to get back at him why don't you just kill me" Caroline mustered with whatever courage was left in her from the day's events, her eyes still blurry with the remains of previous tears.

"Isn't it clear love? You don't give yourself enough credit. You alluded to it yourself this morning. I'll let you figure it out on your own, you did it before with Damon's sire bond over Elena, you can do it again now." He flashed a big smile and sat down next to her on the four poster bed. Instinctively, she shifted back away from him.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, I won't hurt you." He said softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but suddenly grabbing hold of her shoulders.

"However mark my words, do not test me. I've told you once before that your beauty will not be enough to stop me if you push me too far." He rubbed his thumb along her bottom lip and then left her to sit in quiet reflection.

She sat in silence for several minutes before probing her purse for her phone, but couldn't find a thing. After emptying the entire contents and searching through it 3 times, she found a note tucked into the side pocket:

_Dearest Caroline, _

_We cannot have you plotting with your friends while you are under my roof_

_-Klaus_

Caroline groaned in frustration and collapsed back on the bed. She conceded to the fact that she would have to live with the situation until they could figure something out. If she was careful enough at school, she could communicate with the others. After all, there were no more hybrids left to spy on them. Dawn approached, and the exhaustion of the day's events finally caught up with her as she drifted off to sleep.

What must have been several hours later, she woke to the sound of a knock at the door. Her eyes fluttered open to see Klaus, wearing his standard slightly unbuttoned shirt. She responded to his presence by simply rolling over in the opposite direction. Klaus smirked and pulled the cover off of the bed.

"It's time for dinner sweetheart, we can't have you starving to death now can we?" the mention of a meal made her start to salivate. She reached for her bag and started to grab a coat and boots when she felt Klaus' hand wrap around her wrist.

"That won't be necessary; I've prepared something for us." Caroline pulled her wrist from his grasp and got up to follow him. They made their way down to the formal dining room when Caroline stopped dead in her tracks. Two beautiful women sat at the dining table, and had to have been compelled. Their delicate necks had been sliced in just such a way that a steady trickle of blood slid down onto the ornate porcelain bowls set at the table. Her senses heightened immediately at the smell and she fought back the urge to bear her fangs and indulge herself.

"No, I can't" she said, and stepped back a few paces.

"Can't? Of course you can love, I believe 'won't' is the word you're looking for. Why deny yourself the pleasure of reveling in the power you have been given?" She looked back at him and held her hand up to her nose.

"Suit yourself, but I will not permit you to leave and come back reeking of rodents. You eat what I provide, or you will not eat at all." She stood defiantly as he walked over to the table and sat beside one of the women, a brunette with big green eyes. He looked back at her with a grin before licking every drop of blood from the bowl to the girl's neck. Suddenly, he sunk his fangs into her and his eyes rolled back in ecstasy as he drained her. The sight was criminal in every way, and Caroline shamefully found herself unable to pull her eyes away. Watching her enemy, who had threatened and even killed those she loved, with a longing she could not explain.


	3. Chapter 3

Caroline backed away and practically ran into the adjacent study, straight for the first decanter of liquor she could find. Skipping formalities, she removed the stopper and started swigging down the contents, only stopping to cough from the burning sensation it left behind.

"Easy love, that's the world's best single malt whiskey. It should be savored," Klaus delicately removed the decanter from her hand and poured out two glasses, handing her one. Hesitating slightly, she took a small sip and sat down in one of the leather arm chairs.

"You must be pleased with yourself"

"And why would you think that?" Klaus responded clenching his jaw.

"Umm let's see: murder rampage, manipulation, skankified dinner buffet…but oh wait! Guess that's just your typical Sunday in the life of Klaus"

"You really think I'm happy? My Doppleganger is gone, my family is gone. And now, I find out my _loyal_ hybrids have betrayed me and had to be dealt with. Everything is RUINED!" Klaus shouted and threw his glass against the wall, causing Caroline to jump in her seat.

"You didn't have to kill all of them, you didn't have to kill Carol!"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. The only way to ensure loyalty and reverence in others is fear. I have lived thousands of years, the sooner you learn that the better off you'll be. Mark my words, those who choose to defy me will not live to brag about it."

"Yeah and how's that been working out for you?" Klaus looked up at her, some combination of anger and sadness on his face. He turned away and sipped the rest of his whiskey.

"Perhaps it's time for you to return to your room"

"You can keep pretending to yourself that you're always right, but it won't change anything" she said, getting up and storming back to her room. Caroline could not understand him, one second he could be lavishing her with compliments, even being sweet. The next he was grabbing her by the shoulders or literally tearing someone's heart out.

Too many emotions swarmed through her head, although they had been slightly dulled by the alcohol. She noticed some books on the shelf in her room and decided it was probably the only diversion she had access to, so she found a copy of Gone With the Wind and opened it. It was a first edition, no surprise there, and before she knew it, she was halfway through the book and the sun was setting again.

"Screw it, I have had enough reading."

Caroline walked through the hallways and into the rotunda, remembering the Mikaelson's ball that had been held there. As much as she hated to admit it, she had really enjoyed herself that night, and Klaus' company had not been all together awful. Somehow, in the course of the past 24 hours, a large Douglas Fir had been set up and adorned with twinkling white lights and satin ribbon. Funny, she had almost forgotten that it was already Christmas Eve. As she rounded the balcony to get a better look, she noticed a young woman on a ladder hanging silver and gold balls.

"Umm excuse me?" Caroline said aloud, echoing off the marble floors. The woman paused and turned her brunette head towards her.

"Do you need any help?"

"I have to complete the decorations. I can't go home until they are finished" Great. Compulsion zombie. Now that his hybrids were gone, Klaus had resorted to turning the locals into his minions.

"You can still get them done if I help you, then you'll get to go home" the woman thought for a second and then smiled back at her.

"Okay," Caroline smiled in satisfaction and walked down the winding staircase, sliding her hands along the smooth banister as she went. The sweet smell of sap filled the air and it made her remember Christmas' at home, helping her mom put up ridiculous ornaments she had made in school as a kid.

"What's your name?"

"Kathy. I'm an interior designer, they've even photographed some of my work in Southern Living" Caroline turned to the woman and looked deep into her eyes.

"Shouldn't you be with your family right now Kathy?"

"My husband and sons are at home, I just need to get this finished and then I'll leave"

"Kathy, you can go home, I'll finish it for you."

"No, I've been working on this all day and I have to finish before I can leave." It seemed that Klaus' compulsion was more powerful than she could override, so she decided to work around it instead. In a flash, Caroline grabbed the box of ornaments and hung them up all over the tree. As she came to stand back to Kathy, she felt herself feeling faint and the sound of the woman's heart beat sounded louder and louder in her head. Slowly, she felt her legs give way underneath her, and Klaus suddenly caught her before she hit the ground.

"Feeling the Christmas Spirit eh? You really need to eat something, we can't have you weak" Klaus pulled her upright.

"No, I can't, it makes me…"

"It makes you what? Feel pleasure, feel power, feel satisfaction? Don't deny your true nature" Klaus slid behind Kathy and slowly moved her hair over one shoulder, leaving one side of her neck trembling and exposed. Caroline's mouth felt as dry as sandpaper, and she could feel her empty stomach churning as the pains of hunger became ever more apparent. Subconsciously, she licked her lips and started fidgeting, running her hands through her hair and swaying side to side.

"Do it Caroline, do it and she has a chance to live. If you don't feed from her, I will, and I can't promise I'll stop before she's dead." Klaus got closer to Kathy's throat until he was inches away, then he exposed his fangs and stared at Caroline, waiting for an answer.

"OKAY FINE STOP." She shouted back at him, warily stepping forward towards them.

"Kathy, I'm going to bite you, and it will hurt a little. You'll be okay though, and once I get done you're going to go home and take a nice hot bath. Then you're going to spend time with your family and watch cheesy Christmas movies while you sit by the fire, okay? And if your kids want to stay up late, you'll let them because they are excited for Christmas, and they deserve it" Klaus lowered his eyes and frowned as he listened to her request and backed away to give Caroline more room.

"Okay," Kathy said back in a trance. Her fangs already exposed, Caroline bit into Kathy's neck and began to drink, the sweet nectar of blood gliding down her throat and filling her with warmth. It tasted divine, like Parisian macaroons or fine champagne. Stefan's help was paying off, and she carefully listened to Kathy's heart beat, feeling drunk with the wonderful sensation. Once the beats started to slow ever so slightly she pulled away, and immediately was filled with regret at the sight of the bleeding neck wound she had left behind.

"I'm so sorry, please put a big band-aid on that, and if anyone asks say…that an animal attacked you on your way home" she said softly, patting the woman on the shoulder. Kathy nodded and then grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Caroline ran to the closest bathroom and began scrubbing the blood off of her face, tears filling her eyes as she stared at the monster looking back at her in the mirror.

"Caroline, I…" Klaus started from behind her reaching his hand out towards her.

"Please just leave me alone, please," she said swatting his hand away and continuing to scrub. Klaus opened his mouth to protest, but then stopped and turned away, suddenly vanishing. Caroline went back to her room and curled up into a ball, holding her bear closely next to her for comfort. She was better than this, she didn't hurt people, what was he doing to her? After some time, she managed to cry herself to sleep, the soft sound of the wind blowing against her window.

The morning light crept through the window and warmed her cold cheek. With a stretch, she got out of bed, the emotional weight from the night before still lingering but more palatable. As she got up to change clothes, she noticed a large red box tied with a gold satin ribbon by the door. Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes, amazed at how bipolar his behavior was, even more so the past two days. After going back and forth in her head several times, curiosity finally got the better of her and she grabbed the card.

_Merry Christmas_

_Yours, _

_Klaus_

Hesitating, she pulled off the ribbon and unwrapped the package. Red chiffon peaked out of the top: a Badgley Mischka strapless gown, beautiful and elegant. A second note sat on top of the dress, and she fiddled with it in her hands, contemplating what to do…

_We're going out tonight_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm really glad you are enjoying it, thanks for the feedback it keeps me updating regularly!

Justine-Caroline is more upset with herself for letting her thirst have such an effect on her, but is also frustrated that Klaus put her in the position to begin with. Hopefully my take on both of their emotions will become more apparent in the coming chapters-this one is a Klaus' POV

epic sweetness712-It's funny you mentioned that, because it was not my intention, but as I was writing chapter two it suddenly hit me "Hmm, this is giving me some Beauty and the Beast vibes"! I'm glad someone else picked up on it too. Blame it on the plot bunnies

Klaus sat on a plush loveseat in the study off his master suite, sketching idly and staring into the flames of the burning fire. Suddenly he stopped and leaned back, rubbing his face in his hands. The guilt from his actions were still fresh, and driving him to find distractions. Conflict filled every corner of his mind: one side of him desperately desired to release Caroline from the prison she had created for herself, while the other wished nothing more than to keep her exactly how she was, full of light, strength, and determination.

He had been overall satisfied with his course of action until he saw that look on her face. It was like watching an angel cry and he couldn't handle the fact that he had caused her that pain. Clenching his jaw in frustration he scoffed at the effect she continued to have on him. For centuries, he never questioned himself for a second, while lately he had been questioning himself daily. The feeling was new and unsettling to him, but he couldn't deny the exquisite pleasure it gave him to see her smile, to hear her laugh, and not to mention feel electricity if he got so lucky as to touch her porcelain skin.

Smiling to himself, he imagined her expression as she opened his gift. Although she was stubborn, he knew a part of Caroline appreciated the finer things in life and would admire his attention to detail. While he had scavenged for her Miss Mystic Falls application, he had also found the order for her pageant dress, and made sure that the dress fit her precisely.

After going back and forth in his head, he reluctantly beckoned for one of his newly compelled servants to come forward, and handed him a blood bag.

"See to it that Miss Caroline gets this, and don't be stingy on the presentation" the thin man nodded and went on his way. After getting in a steamy shower, he put on his usual pair of black pants and a comfortable hooded sweatshirt. Guilt fueled his determination to enjoy the holiday and make it up to Caroline. It had taken him much of the night, but along with acquiring the dress he had also managed to prepare a few other gifts that he found to be worthy.

While Klaus typically didn't concern himself with trivial tasks, he wanted to hand wrap each of her gifts. Maybe it was remembering pleasant Christmas' past, but he found that the act brought him excitement and pleasure. Carefully, he unrolled a sheet of gold leaf paper and began marking it with intricate designs, then meticulously measuring and cutting so it would be exact. He continued until he had wrapped all four gifts and each looked as if it belonged in a department store Christmas display. Smiling, he admired his work and then moved each one to the tree in the rotunda.

Once each gift was moved, Klaus prepared himself a glass of mulled cider and came back to circle the tree, delicately touching the ornaments as he admired it. A small grin crept on his face, remembering happier times in the past. Suddenly, he felt Caroline's present behind him, and immediately felt himself stiffen in response.

"Before I became werewolf or vampire, we used to decorate an evergreen around the winter solstice. It symbolized the eternal life we craved for ourselves, and our reverence to the higher powers." He chucked softly to himself and looked up at her.

"It seems rather ironic now doesn't it? Those are always my fondest memories, because it was one of the few days our family could laugh and dance and be happy together. Mikael always managed to put aside his differences that day and be pleasant." His smile faded quickly and he took a sip of his mulled cider. Caroline cautiously approached him and fondled one of the ornaments on the tree herself before turning to him.

"My dad, for obvious reasons, split from my mom when I was about 10. Christmas was the one time of year that I knew I would get to see both of them, decorate the tree with mom and make cookies with dad. Now my mom is the only family I have left, and every holiday just makes me remember he's gone" Klaus paused for a moment.

"As I said before, I am very sorry about what happened to him." They both paused and stood in silence for a few moments, until Klaus decided to change the subject.

"It appears Santa Claus came and paid you a visit" he said with a large grin on his face, motioning in pride to his perfectly wrapped gifts.

"Are you sure you don't mean Santa 'Klaus'? And how many times do I have to tell you, you can't buy me" she said in frustration and turned to leave the room.

"I wouldn't expect to buy you, of course you are priceless, and much too intelligent" Klaus quickly shot back, which had the desired reaction of Caroline turning back.

"Then why bother, why bother with the dress or any of these? I'm just some pawn in your game right?"

"Sweetheart, you have never been and will never be one of my pawns. You should be a queen to sit beside me" Caroline rolled her eyes at him.

"All I'm asking is that you take a chance and try to make the best of the situation. I can ensure an evening full of fun and frivolity. But first, you have to open the rest of your gifts." Caroline looked back at him in irritation, and he could tell she was weighing her options. Eventually, she crossed her arms and stared back at him.

"Fine." She picked up one of the gifts, and for a fraction of a second, he thought he saw her admire his work. The moment didn't last long before she nonchalantly ripped it off and opened the box. It was a pair of Jimmy Choo's to match her dress. Again, he swore for a second she admired them while gliding her fingers along the fabric, but quickly put them back in the box and slid them off to the side. She went for the smallest box, but he immediately stopped her.

"That one is for last love." Caroline rolled her eyes at him yet again and picked one of the others. Without hesitation she grabbed the next one and ripped it open, revealing a more casual nude and black lace mini dress, in addition to a pair of black strappy high heels.

"So what, are you slowly buying me a new wardrobe? Are my clothes not satisfactory enough for you?" Klaus laughed back at her, she was so clearly taking pride in her sense of style and defending it.

"I have no issues with the way you dress, I just figured you may want a few new pieces to show off on our trip." Klaus' smile slowly got bigger as he saw her reaction, she opened her mouth to ask a question but he stopped her and pointed to the last two gifts remaining.

"I think you ought to open the rest before you ask any more questions" Quickly she unwrapped the next, revealing a Louis Vuitton rolling carry-on bag.

"It's starting to look like a fashion designer threw up in here" she commented, while he responded by simply shrugging his shoulders.

She grabbed the smallest package and unwrapped it. It was a black pearl pendant, surrounded by diamonds, and hanging from a shiny platinum chain.

"It's a Tahitian black pearl, the natives believe it is a symbol of hope in a wounded man's heart. Perhaps someday I can take you there, but today you'll have to settle for New York City" he told her softly. She looked up at him speechless, although he couldn't tell if it was what he said, the gifts, the trip, or all of it.

"But how can we get there by tonight?" she asked softly.

"Caroline, I have lived thousands of years and acquired a mass of wealth. Of course I have a jet at my disposal. It will only take us a couple of hours"

"Oh," Caroline replied, still in shock.

"You're quite welcome, but you'd better go pack your things, we leave in an hour. No need for excessive primping, we will have plenty of time to get ready there." Caroline gathered up the gifts and went back upstairs, while Klaus lingered with a smile still remaining on his face. It was rewarding enough to see her excited when she was trying to hold back, but it made him want to see more, and he challenged himself to win some of her trust by the end of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Happy Holidays everyone…hope you enjoy!

Caroline sat on the jet and peered out of the window, actually a bit nervous, and fidgeting with her hair. She had never been on a plane before, and wasn't sure what to expect. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Klaus chuckling at her.

"Have a glass of champagne love, you'll be fine I promise, it's actually quite fun." He poured a glass and handed it to her, then took a seat across the aisle. Within moments, the plane began to vibrate and hum as the engines started and Caroline clenched the arm rests. The jet lurched forward and moved down the runway, and Caroline tightened the seatbelt as far as it would allow. As they picked up speed, she began to relax and enjoy the feeling of being propelled forward. Suddenly they angled upwards, and she looked out the window as the landscape became smaller and smaller. For some odd reason she felt relief; being out of Mystic Falls felt like escaping into a dream, and leaving all the drama behind in the distance.

The remainder of the flight was uneventful and mostly full of Caroline excitedly asking Klaus questions about New York City and him humoring her with all the details. Caroline gazed out in wonder as the pilot announced they were approaching the city and would be landing soon. Staring at the skyscrapers below, she put her hand up against the window glass and smiled.

"Is all of that it?"

"Yes, full of wonder and excitement" Klaus whispered in her ear, sounding like velvet. She smiled back at him and looked very much like an excited child on Christmas morning.

Once they arrived on the landing strip, a black Mercedes and driver were waiting for them.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"Patience my dear, don't want to ruin the surprise" Caroline pouted slightly and continued looking out the window at all of the buildings and lights as the sun slowly set. Before she knew it, the car came to a stop in front of a large building and the driver opened the door for them. Klaus instructed the door man to get their luggage and have it sent to the room. She followed him into an express elevator that took them to the twentieth floor, and he motioned for her to follow him when he reached the door to what she assumed to be his room.

As soon as they walked in, she accidentally let out a gasp. The room was wall to wall windows, overlooking Central Park and the skyline. The design seemed a bit more modern than the mansion, but it still reeked of Klaus. There were a few very expensive abstract paintings on the wall, marble accents, and ancient relics scattered about.

"Do you own this place?" She asked him.

"Yes, of course. I have travelled the world and made it a point to acquire real estate in my more frequently travelled destinations. It does make things a bit more convenient." Caroline scoffed.

"Yeah, I'll say"

"The room to the left will be yours. We have dinner arrangements in two hours, please make sure you are ready by then." He motioned to the door where someone must have crept in and deposited their bags, and then Klaus made his way up the spiral staircase, presumably to his room. Caroline took a few more minutes to admire the view and explore the space, and then grabbed her bags and made her way into the bedroom.

To her delight, the room also had a window to the outside, as well as a spacious private bathroom. It had been a couple days since she had last showered, so she started there. It was already stocked with products for her to use and she felt her muscles relax as the hot water cascaded down her shoulders.

Caroline tried to clear her mind, but her focus was all on Klaus. She didn't know what game he was playing, being so nice to her. His polarity drove her mad: one minute he was forcing her to hurt someone and the next he was buying her expensive presents and taking her to one of the places she had only ever dreamed about going. Still, there was something about him she couldn't shake, something exciting and intriguing that she hadn't been able to shake since the night he saved her from Tyler's bite. There was an electricity she wasn't able to describe, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay focused when he was near. Although she knew who he was and what he had done, her body did not seem to know or care.

After she got out of the shower, she continued by blow drying her hair and setting it in hot rollers. While she waited for them to cool, she expertly applied her make-up, one of the perks of cheerleading and pageantry. She had hung the red dress up in front of the closet and stood to admire it, trailing her fingers along the soft flowing fabric, and then put it on. When she entered the main room again, Klaus was already waiting in a crisp, well fit suit, and looked amazing. He eyed her like she was a meal he desperately wanted to consume and she smiled a little bit from the flattery.

"I see the dress fits you well, you look stunning."

"As much as it pains me to say it, you don't look so bad yourself. Can you zip me up please?" She said turning to him. His intoxicating smell of wood, spices, and leather filled her nose as he got up close behind her, and his fingers delicately and slowly zipped the dress. He lingered slightly on her neck and took a second to fiddle with the clasp on her necklace.

"A beautiful girl fit for a beautiful city," he whispered into her ear.

"Haven't I told you before? Your little seduction moves won't work on me" he gave her a wink and a grin and then offered his arm out to her, which she obligingly took. The car was still waiting for them outside of the lobby and quickly dropped them off in front of a towering building several blocks away. Klaus walked around and opened the door for her, then offered his hand. The maître d' was waiting in the entrance and became boisterous at the sight of Klaus as they approached.

"Merry Christmas sir, we have prepared your table as usual. And what a beautiful date, you are a very lucky woman." Caroline politely thanked him and they went to a private room several floors up where a table was set and a bottle of Moet was already sitting on ice for them. Again, the windows displayed a gorgeous view of the skyline and the lights of the city glittered in the distance. The maitre d' pulled out their chairs for them and then opened the bottle of champagne and poured it in each of their glasses.

"Bon Appetite," he said and left them in privacy. Klaus swirled his champagne glass and gave her an intense look from across the table.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself"

"I don't think even you could ruin this for me…if you had asked me a few years ago I would have never thought in a million years I would be sitting at a place like this in New York City in this dress and shoes." Caroline turned around and looked into the distance, laughing to herself and taking a sip from her glass. Klaus smiled and leaned back in his chair, regarding her and raising an eyebrow.

"I'm curious, what were you like before Katerina turned you?"

"I was pathetic, you would have hated me. I was usually insecure, especially around Elena, who has always been the queen of everything. I tried so hard to be the best and make everyone else happy and live up to their expectations. Head cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, but it still wasn't enough for everyone. Damon even compelled me to be his Elena spy slash sex toy for awhile." Klaus had just taken a sip and started coughing violently, then regained his composure. His grip tightened on the champagne flute and he looked back up at her.

"Did he now? Remind me to break his neck for that. Regardless, I'm sure you are exaggerating; you are strong and unapologetic now. It must have been inside you somewhere, or else you wouldn't be showing it now. It seems being vampire has made you a fearsome woman, and yet you still treat it like such a burden." Klaus paused for a moment and then continued.

"When you've lived as long as I have, you begin to realize the world is not so black and white, but shades of gray. While it may be easier to consider 'good and evil' there usually is more than meets the eye; you have to focus on survival first, and accepting who you are."

"I don't reject ALL of it. I just try not to kill people who haven't done anything wrong, rather than serve my own needs and feel no remorse for my actions."

"A noble cause indeed, but you can't honestly tell me you haven't felt simply amazing after drinking straight from the vein. Or tell me you haven't felt the satisfaction of power when you compelled a human to do something for you." Caroline averted her eyes and shifted in her seat.

"Maybe a little…"

"Or felt as much pleasure as when you have…what was it you called it? 'Hot hybrid vampire sex'?" He raised his eyebrows at her and she blushed.

"You know, I did actually pour bleach in my mouth after you pulled that little trick on me."

"There was no trick love, you practically threw yourself at me. And don't forget, I saved you, again. How many times is it now? 3? 4? I'm beginning to lose count." Caroline rolled her eyes and downed the rest of her champagne, then poured another glass. Saved by the waiter, she thought, as he entered and gave them both plates of well presented lobster.

Several glasses of champagne later, Caroline was feeling much more at ease, and even having a good time conversing with Klaus.

"So I'm really beginning to think this IS our thing," she said smiling and pointing to the empty champagne bottles. Klaus laughed and shrugged.

"I suppose there are worse 'things' to have." Klaus looked around at their empty plates and bottles and looked up to the ceiling.

"Perhaps it's time for a change of scenery, I think this place is starting to get rather dull, don't you?"

"Yeah," Caroline paused and then lit up, "can we go dancing! Except, I guess this dress doesn't really translate well in the club…"

"Have no fear, I am always prepared. I figured you may have wanted to go out somewhere so I packed your other dress in the car."

"Where am I supposed to change?" she asked him. He put both his arms out and motioned to the room all around them.

"Yeah right, you wish."

"It wouldn't be anything I haven't seen before, even if they weren't actually my eyes."

"Fine, but if I catch you looking I'll do more than slap you this time." Klaus gave her a devilish grin and sent a text message to the driver.

"More than a slap? I like that sound of that…" Caroline felt a small fire inside of her at his response, but turned her head to avoid his piercing eyes. The driver showed up with a couple small bags and handed them to Klaus, who nodded in appreciation and then tossed Caroline one of them.

They each went to opposite corners of the room and changed: Caroline into the nude and black lace mini dress, and Klaus into a nice fitting pair of jeans, a button up white shirt, and a gray blazer. After adjusting the last shoe strap Caroline smoothed out the dress and looked up to see Klaus staring out the window, one hand in his pocket. The city lights framed him in such a way that he appeared angelic, but there was a sadness in his eyes she couldn't quite grasp.

"What were you like before Mikael and Esther turned you?" Klaus smirked and walked towards her.

"Young and naïve, I was always trying to prove myself too. Desperate to be manly and brave, I was always looking for a fight. But, above all else, I valued my brothers and sisters, and enjoyed being with them a great deal."

"I would have liked to have seen you then, I bet you were fun." Klaus walked up to her and tucked a strand of hair away from her face, then traced her jaw line with his pointer finger. Caroline froze and wasn't sure what to do, but found herself unable to move away from him.

"I could give you everything, all this, and more. We could go anywhere, live like a King and Queen, and make no apologies for it. Two against the world," Caroline looked into his eyes and saw sincerity, but she still couldn't trust him, couldn't betray her friends. She was a prisoner, she had to remind herself of that.

"Let's go, the night is young," she responded, and he nodded but looked somehow disappointed.

With a few quick compulsions they had made it in to one of the trendiest clubs in town. The music was pumping and the room was hot and sweaty. Caroline headed straight to the bar, and Klaus was hot on her heels.

"Shots?"

"I thought you'd never ask" Caroline wasn't sure what to do, so the only logical solution seemed to be large quantities of alcohol. After moving several people who were in her way, she got the bartender and had him pour two shots of whiskey. Handing one to Klaus, she lifted the glass up in a cheers and downed it. An LMFAO song started playing and she squealed in excitement and made her way out to the dance floor, Klaus following behind her. She lifted up her arms and swayed her hips, she noticed a few guys eyeing her and move closer but without missing a beat Klaus "suggested" they go elsewhere. The dancing was a welcome distraction but she found herself looking over at him and contemplating how good he looked, wondering what he would do to her if given the chance. The song ended and she approached him again.

"Tequila?"

"Easy love, one more and you need a break I think," she turned away from him annoyed and walked back up to the bar, making sure to exaggerate the swing of her hips, she'd show him what she could handle. The salt sprinkled on her skin tickled and she let out a small giggle, then offered it to Klaus who had once again appeared next to her. He looked back at her with those criminal eyes of his and licked every grain of salt off his hand, then threw back the shot. He finished by slowly biting into the lime, letting some of the juice run down his lips. Caroline gulped at his overt behavior and then took her own shot.

The DJ put on a Pink song she hadn't heard and before she knew it Klaus had pulled her close, one hand very noticeably on her lower back and the other holding onto her hand. Expertly, he swayed her with him to the music, and the burn she felt where his hands rested gradually intensified. Her mind was getting cloudy, maybe a combination of all the alcohol, the crowd, or just him. One of his hands traveled up her thigh and it felt like heaven.

The words of the song playing echoed in her head as she then felt his breath on her neck, sending shivers up her spine.

_Where there is desire there is gonna be a flame_

Suddenly his hand pushed her lower back closer to him and he spun her away.

_Where there is a flame someone's bound to get burned_

When she spun back she found one of her hands resting on his chest. They both looked down where it rested and looked up at each other again. His blue eyes felt like they were penetrating her very soul and her entire being filled with desire, making her nerve endings feel like they were on fire.

_But just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die, you gotta get up and try and try and try_

Before she could process what was happening, her lips were on his, desperate to get more. Klaus moved one of his hands to her hair in response as the kiss deepened. Klaus pulled away gently and began placing kisses down her neck while his hands ran along her waist and hips, the pause allowing Caroline to process what was happening. Her mind was screaming at her to stop, and she pushed him away. In confusion Klaus looked up to her, his eyes still glazed over from the moment.

"No, I can't do this" she said to him, and bolted out of the room. Klaus stood and rubbed his fingers over his lips, the taste of her still lingering. He smiled softly and called for a driver.

"That girl, always keeping me guessing…"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the delay, sick, getting ready to try to sell house, lots going on! Little trivia for all of you, Miss Candice Accola actually sings in a 90's cover band called Straight 2 Video with some other Vampire Diaries cast and crew, which served as part of my inspiration in this chapter

Once the driver arrived, Klaus had him cruise around the block to try to find Caroline. Although she had run off, he knew she wouldn't go far. There was no way she would risk her beloved Tyler by running away. Klaus scoffed at the thought as the shining city lights bounced off the glass of the window and made the night twinkle. He lazily ran his thumb over his lower lip again, wishing the feeling of her kiss would linger there forever. Many women had kissed him before, but few like her, few who actually earned a return in his affection. He felt abuzz, alive, a feeling he had long since forgotten.

It had been at least a millennium, and even then…perhaps Katia had been the only one, and that was when his delicate mortal coil was still intact. Humans were too fragile, and the vampires were usually just after power, hoping to grab hold of his coat tails and tag along for the ride. They were used to meet his needs and then dealt with accordingly. The desire he felt was nearly a stranger to him, and refreshing, like fresh mountain air. He did not want to let it go.

After 15 minutes of utilizing all his senses, Klaus instructed the driver to stop. He smelled her nearby and spotted a small unthreatening neighborhood bar, the type of locale she would flock to for comfort. Klaus glided through the crowded room and took a seat in the back where he was more concealed. Casually, he sat back in his chair and propped his legs up on the table, lacing his fingers together in his lap. A sweet voice was singing karaoke on the stage. Pleased with his good luck, he ordered a drink from the waitress. She made a comment about his "cute British accent" and bent over a little bit too desperately as she took his order. Still, she was somewhat attractive so he humored her with a few witty replies and gave her a wink.

Intrigued by the song bird over the speaker, he craned his head to try to get a look, but a man abruptly stood up in front of him. Most of these kinds of places had terrible singers, which actually was half the fun. He generally feasted on the worst ones, as punishment for wasting his time with their lack of respect for the beautiful art of music. Sipping his drink, he peered up to see none other than Caroline, clearly inebriated and singing her heart out. Golden hair cascading down her face, holding the microphone tenderly like a lover: she had never looked more beautiful.

_You think I have nothing_

_Without you by my side_

_You'll see somehow, some way_

There was sadness in her eyes as she sung, as if she was trying to convince herself of the lyrics.

_All by myself _

_I don't need anyone at all_

_I know I'll survive, I know I'll stay alive_

As she continued, her voice became stronger, and more confident.

_You think that you are strong, but you are weak_

_You'll see_

_It takes more strength to cry, admit defeat_

_I have truth on my side, you only have deceit _

_You'll see somehow, some way_

Klaus frowned and looked down at his drink, turning it in his hand. He didn't know how she always managed to do it; it was as if she could peer into his very soul. His jaw clenched and he shifted in his seat, again, feeling doubt in himself and the discomfort that came with it.

_All by myself_

_I don't need anyone at all_

_I know I'll survive I know I'll stay alive_

Looking back up his eyes met hers instantly. She was staring right at him, singing the words to him.

_I'll stand on my own_

_I won't need anyone this time_

_It will be mine, no one can take it from me_

_You'll see_

Her sad song faded out and he felt the beginning of a tear forming, although he held it back with all his might. The audience roared in whistles and applause and she took a half curtsey and scampered off of the stage. Klaus set his drink down and hurried over to her, grabbing hold of her arm once he caught up.

"Caroline, wait, have a drink with me"

"Just let me go, I can't be around you right now" Caroline turned to walk away again, her hair flipping and sending a wonderful scent in his direction. Klaus tugged back in response, spinning her back towards him.

"Have one drink with me, and I promise I'll not bother you for the rest of the night. Just return to the loft by tomorrow morning, I'll even allow you the driver."

"What's the catch?"

"No catch, just think of it as another Christmas gift"

"I don't believe you"

"I give you my word, as a gentleman."

"Gentleman, yeah right." She eyed him for a second and looked up at the ceiling.

"Okay, one drink, and then you'll leave me alone for the rest of the night." Klaus gave a half smile and nodded in response, then offered his hand to her, which she took. After sweet talking the waitress from before, he secured them a small table off in a corner to the side, and luckily another talented singer had taken the stage so their ears weren't assaulted.

Klaus ordered them two whiskeys and Caroline sat and drank hers quicker, letting her nerves show. Nervously Caroline looked around the room, but Klaus kept his gaze directly on her.

"Why did you run away?"

"You said drink, not talk." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why do you think? You're a monster, who doesn't have a shred of decency or consideration for anyone other than yourself. I must have mistaken your hybrid scent for Tyler and got lost in the moment." Klaus clenched his jaw and his drink and cocked his head to the side, how dare she bring him up.

"Really now, it didn't feel that way when you were trembling beneath my fingers Love." Caroline took another swig of her drink and gulped.

"Yeah, trembling from trying to stop myself from vomiting" Klaus grabbed the table and flipped it over, making Caroline jump up from her seat. Blood boiling and eyes darkened, Klaus found himself in a blind rage of emotion and without thinking twice pushed Caroline up against the wall and pinned her there. The wolf inside was clawing against him and he breathed in deeply while running his nose along her neck. Paralyzed, she remained still against him.

"I don't see you running now," he whispered into her ear, nipping at her ear lobe and feeling her shutter. Without hesitation he grabbed hold of her hair, tugging it back so he could see her eyes. Dark eyes and fangs exposed to him, he could see the veins pulse in her face, exposing her true self. He pressed himself into her more and stroked one of her fangs with his finger.

"Looks like we've each finished our drinks…enjoy the rest of your night." He released her, turned and walked away, grinning from ear to ear as he made his way out front. In the distance Caroline was left breathing heavily and slowly crumbled to the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This story is bridging into AU since the second half of the season has started, I'll be integrating some of the plot non-related to Klaus/Caroline/Tyler in where possible. Your reviews keep me going!

Caroline sat against the wall and covered her mouth with her hand. A few patrons who had witnessed the skirmish came over to see if she was okay but she insisted she was fine and shooed them away. Gaining her composure, she stood up and went to the bathroom. After closing and locking the door, she grabbed either side of the sink and looked up into the mirror, pulsing veins and fangs stared back at her. Slowly, she breathed in and out like Stefan had taught her, waiting for the adrenaline to subside.

This was most definitely not okay. Feelings for Klaus, other than anger and spite, were off limits. Klaus was a schemer, and whatever game he was playing had to have ulterior motives. But those lips…God those lips. Caroline shook herself back into reality. She needed help, and fast. With a quick tousle of her hair, she went back into the bar and up to a girl sitting at a stool by herself.

"I need to borrow your phone; I'll give it back as soon as I'm done." Caroline's pupils dilated and the girl maintained eye contact with her, reached into her purse, grabbed her cell phone, and handed it to Caroline.

"Thanks," Caroline said with a smile, ducking out back into an alley, and dialing away.

"…Hello?"

"Stefan, thank God. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice"

"Caroline? Are you okay? How did you get a phone?"

"Stefan, I think I'm starting to lose it." Caroline filled Stefan in on all of the gory details from start to finish.

"Hmmm, it seems like he's setting the groundwork for something, but I don't know what. We're all working to get the cure, so there isn't really anything on the table, unless this is all a play to get back at Tyler."

"Do you have a plan on getting me out of this? I feel like I'm going crazy here. Every five minutes he's touching, or whispering, or…things are tingling Stefan, tingling!"

"We're working on it. We have a lead on a headstone that we might be able to use to negotiate with him." Stefan paused and took a deep breath.

"Listen, Caroline, I know this may not be what you want to hear but, it may not be the worst thing to play along. If you really want to get Tyler in the clear, making Klaus think you're giving in to him may be your best option. If he's going to try to manipulate you, beat him at his own game. Just don't let it cloud your head, that's what ended up happening to me, and I lost everything. In the meantime, use the rest of your night to relax and pick your next move"

"You know what? You're right. If I get another chance soon I'll get a hold of you again. Tell Tyler I love him"

"I will. And Caroline, stay strong, you've got this." Caroline hung up the phone and puffed out her chest. Stefan was right; who did Klaus think he was? If he was going to play games with her, she would play them right back, and better. Why wait for the rest of them to figure something out when she could take matters into her own hands? With a renewed sense of purpose, Caroline handed the phone back to its owner and walked out front to find the driver.

"Where to miss?"

"Well first I need to stop at the hospital really quick. Then let's go to that club Jay-Z owns"

"That would be the 40/40 club miss. Right away."

Once Caroline had a couple blood bags, a couple drinks, and had sufficiently danced her face off, she hopped back into the town car. She wished there were more hours in the day, but it was dawn and she didn't have a choice but to go back to the apartment. At least now she had a plan she could hold on to, and some resolve.

With a smile, she thanked the driver and shut the car door, coat and heels in hand. As the lights on the elevator blinked with each floor, she took a few deep breaths. The door opened and she walked a few steps to the apartment door and opened it to find Klaus sitting on a plush couch in the main room, twisting a glass in one hand, and strumming his fingers on the other. Without turning to look at her he spoke.

"Well well well, from the smell of it, you had quite an evening."

"Trust me, I did." Caroline plopped her purse and shoes in a nearby chair and walked toward her bedroom, then stopped in her tracks and saw Klaus had gotten up and was a few steps behind her. His eyes looked worn and he seemed a bit more loose than normal, and he also reeked of booze which led her to believe he had been up all night drinking.

"Can you unzip me?" She asked, raising her eyebrow and turning her back to him, sweeping her loose curls over one shoulder. Klaus' calloused fingers fiddled with the zipper and then hovered as they had before. Caroline quickly walked back to her room and shut the door, this time leaving him the one standing alone.

After a shower, Caroline tucked herself in to get some sleep. Suspiciously, her dreams were filled with images of Klaus, so she was not surprised when she woke up to find him sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Finally awake, I have one more thing planned before we go back to Mystic Falls tomorrow. Dress warm, not that our cold blood can't handle it," he winked and gave a wicked smile and then left her to get ready.

"Is that your idea of a wake-up call?" She shouted back at him.

Once they were both dressed and ready, Klaus led her out the building and across the street to Central Park.

"So you really aren't going to tell me where we're going again?"

"That would ruin the surprise sweetheart" he replied smugly.

"You sure do like surprises"

"Only the pleasant ones," Klaus said stopping in front of an ice skating rink.

"Doesn't quite compare to a frozen lake, but it will do," he handed her a pair of skates and they sat down and laced them on a nearby bench. Caroline looked nervously at the skates and took extra care standing up once she had them on, Klaus eyed her suspiciously.

"My dad used to take me ice skating every year over Christmas break before he moved away, but it's been awhile." After she stepped onto the ice she was able to tip-toe a few steps before wobbling and grabbed onto Klaus for support.

"Relax," he laughed at her "your reflexes will be better than what you remember before if you would only allow them." Slowly she straightened her legs and let the superhuman agility do its job, gracefully weaving back and forth and spinning in circles. Klaus had already started to do laps, looking like a pro hockey player, and stopping to send ice shavings in her direction.

"Ohhhh, I'm going to get you for that!"

"You'll have to catch me first," Klaus laughed and sped off as Caroline followed closely behind him. He tried to out maneuver her but she was able to lunge at him and sent them both flying to the ground. They laid on the ice and burst out laughing, until he stood up and offered his hand. She smiled and took it, and left her fingers intertwined in his, and he turned his head and smiled to himself. The gesture was well calculated, and would allow him some false confidence that his plan was working. They spent a few more hours playfully skating around, and Caroline had to admit that it wasn't hard to pretend she was having fun. As the sun began to set, they walked arm and arm back to the room, Caroline taking a seat back on the couch and Klaus finding his way back to the bar.

"How can you take people's lives and just feel nothing?"

"You learn to do what needs to be done, and turn off the overwhelming emotions that generally follow it," he frowned and poured a couple glasses of amber liquor, which she guessed was bourbon or scotch.

"Just flip the switch huh?

Smiling, Klaus handed her a glass and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's as easy as that, what more would you expect?" He said as he handed one to her.

"Doesn't it get old to just not feel anything? Yeah it sucks, but sometimes you just have to deal with the fact that not everything is going to go the way you want it to. Fear, pain, sadness, it's scary but it's something. I'd rather feel something than nothing at all."

"You are still young. When you've seen as many things as I have, felt the sting of someone you love and trust betray you, it is much easier. Anger is something I can understand and control, the others are much more unpredictable. But yes, as of late I have been wishing I could feel something more, to experience more."

"Hm. Seems to me that in the entire time you've been in Mystic Falls all I've seen you feel is anger"

"I feel something for you. Something different," Caroline stopped and stared up at him.

"And it scares the hell out of me. My heart feel like it may burst out of me when I'm around you, I feel like a simpering school boy, weak at the knees. Remember when I gave you the bracelet? You asked me where it came from and I told you that it belonged to a princess almost as beautiful as you? Her name was Tatia. She was the original doppelganger, and the prize of the village. Her smile could light up a room, and her wit and strength were unmatched by any other woman I had ever met, until you of course. Elijah and I struggled to win her affections, but father put an end to that when he killed her to use in the spell that turned us."

"So you must be in love with Elena too then huh? Just like everybody else."

"Not exactly, anything Tatia's image left for me after the years that passed was erased by Katerina. I have never felt anything close to that since her, and I was human then, more susceptible."

"You have to believe me; I would do whatever you asked of me, give you anything your heart desires, show you the world. You make me want to be better, to be worthy of you." He grabbed one of her hands and put it against his chest. What if this wasn't part of a plan, what if he was serious? She pushed the idea away. He would do anything? The thought was intriguing, so she tested it.

"You would leave Mystic Falls and everyone there? Forget about hybrids, Elena, and the cure?"

"If you promised to stay with me and it was what you desired, yes." He took her hand and kissed it, and when she looked in his eyes she knew he was telling the truth, but she was unconvinced he could ever change. It was too much to take in, so she again pushed her feelings aside and tried to stick to her guns. Smoothing a stray strand of her from his forehead she went in and kissed him, pouring the intensity from all her conflicting emotions into it. Before she could process it, he had pulled her down so she sat in his lap, and he pulled her close to his chest and planted light kisses along her collarbone.

Her breath hitched as she felt his teeth sink in, one of his hands gingerly caressing her neck and the other draped around her chest, possessively holding her against him. As he drank she experienced a sense of euphoria, as if she was floating on air, and his touch and soft lips just added to it. Pulling away, Klaus licked a stray drop, and Caroline groaned in frustration at the separation as she felt herself plummet back to reality, she didn't want the feeling to stop. Opening her eyes, she found Klaus' wrist offered up in front of her.

"You must drink. Before the venom starts to take hold of you." Caroline furrowed her eyebrows and looked back at him and then back down to his wrist again. It was too late to turn back now, he was right, she had to drink to live, and it wasn't like this was the first time. But somehow it was different. She didn't have a choice then, but she did now, and he had drank from her this time too. There wasn't much time to think as she felt what was left of the euphoria slowly turn into an intense burning that spread from head to toe. Slapping his wrist away, she turned back to him and sunk into a plump vein on his neck, letting one hand tousle his curly hair.

"Easy love," he throatily murmured. His blood tasted like nothing she had every experienced, like some sort of fine wine aged to perfection. She must have been too far gone when she had drank from him before, either that or he tasted better from the mutual exchange. There was no way she would have forgotten this, it somehow made her feel complete, like some missing piece had been filled. She heard Klaus moan into her, his arms holding her closer. Blackness started to fill her vision and she took it as a sign to stop, gently retracting her fangs and resting her head against his chest. Both of them lay in silence with one another, the unison of their heavy breathing echoing against the walls.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This week's episode writers must have been on the same wavelength as me, glad to see they gave us shippers a little something, interesting to see what happens this week! Thanks for the reviews, glad you guys like it, here's some more to tide you over, enjoy!

Klaus held her in his arms, and felt as if the world had melted away from him. After some time she had fallen asleep there, and now rays of sunlight bounced off her blonde head like a halo, her soft steady breathing hypnotizing him. He was afraid to let go, that somehow if he did the dream would be over and he would wake up to reality. Stroking her hair, he tried to savor every moment, feeling her burrow into his chest further as she slept.

He tried to remember the last time he had been this happy, truly happy, but it escaped him. The happiness he had felt over the years had been clouded in buried guilt and shame, but this was pure. Perhaps the fond memories he had of exploring the forest with his brothers or walking through the Louvre in solitude, but they still paled in comparison.

Caroline roused beneath his hands and sat up, looking around to try to remember where she was. In a moment she stiffened and nervously stood up and smoothed out her clothes.

"I'm going to take a quick shower I think," she said, almost overly perky.

"As long as it's quick sweetheart, we have to head back soon." She smiled and nodded and then briskly walked into her room and closed the door. Klaus sat and stared down at his hands, hearing the sound of the water running, and wondered what she was thinking. He could always just compel it out of her, but he had promised himself a long time ago he wouldn't do that to her, it somehow sullied things. Still, something seemed off, seemed…wrong.

Once everything was packed and Caroline was ready, he called for the driver to take them to the airport. Caroline remained silent during the drive, looking out the window and watching the city fade into the distance. After they had boarded the plane and taken their seats he turned to her and hesitated before speaking.

"Please tell me what you're thinking. You regret last night don't you"

"No, no. It was…indescribable. I just, I don't want to go back." Caroline looked up at him with pain in her eyes, and a hint of tears forming.

"Why not?"

"It just makes me remember everything, Elena, Carol…Tyler" Klaus winced at his name and clenched his jaw.

"I see. Well fortunately for you, you only have a few days until you'll get to see some of them back at school. You can pretend nothing ever happened." Klaus responded softly and turned to face the window, not wanting her to see the signs of sadness he was struggling to hold back.

"I don't want to pretend nothing ever happened." She responded angrily, more confident, and he looked back at her with glassy eyes. Perfectly timed, the attendant came around with wine, and they both greedily took a glass and downed the contents. The rest of the flight was spent in silence, each of them turned away and contemplating the situation.

Klaus smiled as he walked in the front door to the mansion, he had forgotten how nice it was to have some sort of semblance of home after roaming the world in search of Katerina and the most recent doppelganger. Not to mention hiding from Michael. Some of the servants went up to greet him and he instructed them to take their bags to each of their rooms. He turned to face Caroline, and looked down at his feet.

"If you prefer, you may hunt the grounds, but if you are not back in an hour there will be hell to pay." Caroline nodded and was off in a flash, he assumed she needed to clear her head as much as he did. A bit famished himself, he headed to the kitchen and poured a few blood bags into a glass. Obviously he would prefer a fresh meal, but he didn't have the emotional clarity at the moment to injure or kill a human. After he was full, he headed off to his wing and sat a blank canvas onto his easel. He gave himself over to his emotions and let them emanate from his brush, therapeutically purging the anguish he was holding deep in his chest.

In the distance he could hear the front door slam closed, and it woke him from his trance. Caroline must have arrived back as promised. When he turned his head back towards the canvas he saw her face staring back at him, an angel wrapped in strokes of black and red, tortured by the darkness he inflicted on her, the evil in his soul that he both abhorred and embraced at the same time. He stumbled backwards from it and sat in a nearby chair, burying his head in his hands, and wondering how it would ever be possible for her to reciprocate his feelings after everything he'd done.

He sensed her immediately and stood up to see her knocking softly against his already open door.

"By the smell of it love, I'd say Bambi didn't stand a chance" she gave a small laugh and smiled at him. He bashfully approached her and put his hand on her cheek.

"I think we both could stand the pleasure of a more traditional meal. I seem to have commandeered a 5 star chef from Richmond." Caroline pulled away from his touch.

"Yeah that sounds good," she stifled a smile and walked away. He furrowed his brow, yet again confused by her behavior. Maybe his fears were realized, she didn't feel anything for him, but then why had she been so convincing during their intimacy the night before? Did she dare try to play him? The anger rose in him and he tried to push it back down, best not to jump to conclusions.

They sat at the table as delicious delicacies were placed before them. Klaus gave Caroline a sideways smile as he cut into the meat. She smiled back and took a bite herself.

"Oh my God! This is literally the best food I have ever tasted!" Greedily she took a few more forkfuls and rolled her eyes back in delight. It pleased him to make her happy and he chuckled softly to himself while he watched her enjoy the meal.

"Yes, I suppose this is good. I sometimes forget how little you've seen of the world, how much is still waiting to be discovered." He wished he could be there by her side to watch, to share her pleasure at experiencing all the world had to offer.

"If things taste better than this? Uh, yes. I'd say I definitely need to get outside of Mystic Falls more." After three courses, each one better than the previous, they retired to the sitting room with a few drinks.

He heard her let out a squeal of excitement as she saw an acoustic guitar sitting in the corner of the room.

"You play?" He asked her.

"Yes, but I'm really bad." Klaus motioned with his hand for her to give it a go and she pointed a finger at him.

"Fine, but no judgment!"

"I give you my word as a gentleman"

"Gentleman? I don't know if I'd go that far." He reached for a nearby pillow and chucked it at her head, which she dodged and then positioned her fingers against the guitar. Klaus smiled softly as she began to sing along with the chords.

"_She's a good girl, love's her mama. Loves Jesus, and America too. She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis, loves horses…"_ Klaus pointed to her and they both laughed.

"Come on, stop it! _And her boyfriend too"_

"_It's a long day, livin' in Reseda. There's a freeway, runnin' through the yard. And I'm a bad boy, 'cause I don't even miss her. I'm a bad boy, for breakin' her heart"_

"_All the vampires, walkin' through the valley" _This time Klaus pointed to both of them and she stopped.

"Okay that's it, no more!" She laughed and put the guitar back in its corner. Klaus grabbed her arm as she stood back up and turned around, and she looked at him with doe eyes as he drew her in for a kiss. After a moment or two she put her hands against his chest and pushed him away. The confusion and anger started to resurface as he ran a hand through his hair and grimacing before turning back to her.

"I laid out the bargain last night, don't you remember sweetheart?"

"I would leave all your friends alone if you promise to be by my side to be mine, I'll do whatever you wish if you promise me that." He saw the conflict in Caroline's face, the frustration as she fought within to decide how to respond.

"I'm not yours to have." Caroline spat at him with clenched teeth and stormed off to her room. Klaus stood next to the fire, a fire of his own growing inside of him; the anger was too strong to push away. She felt something, he knew it to be true, and she wouldn't admit to it. Pounding back the remnants of his Scotch he growled, threw the glass against the wall, and stormed off after her.

Klaus threw open the door to her room and Caroline stood up from sitting on the bed, eyes wide open.

"I will NOT be told what to do and I most definitely will NOT be told what I CAN and CANNOT have!"

He speedily came within inches of her face, his breathing heavy with anger, and captured her in a kiss, grabbing her waist and pushing her closer to him. Surprisingly, she did not resist, and he felt her reciprocate against him, snaking her hand behind his head and tugging at his hair. Caroline sat down on the bed again and grabbed the neck of his shirt, pulling him on top of her and continuing the assault of kisses, her leg wrapping gracefully around his waist.

His hand grazed up her thigh and he marveled at the soft smooth skin as she elicited a gentle moan of pleasure at the contact. Vigorously she flipped him over to straddle him and unbuttoned the top of his shirt, pulling it over his head, and running lithe fingers across his sparse chest hairs. Her touch felt like electricity, and he wanted her to touch every inch of him possible, wanted the feeling to last. Both their faces had changed to show their true selves, fangs exposed and eyes like pools of darkness, freeing the monsters that lie within. Klaus liked it better this way, no lies, no hiding, no complications, just them. As they were. Her hand traveled south until it reached the button of his jeans, and he grabbed her wrist.

"There's no turning back now," he practically grunted to her.

"Never." She said the words with resolve, and then captured him in another kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, have I told you that I love you guys? If you get bored you should check out my new blog and look at my recap of ep. 4x14, link is in my profile (sorry for the shameless plug). Enjoy the new chapter!

Caroline woke up to feel rays of sunlight hitting her face, warming her cheeks and making her smile. There was something else to, an arm draped rather possessively over her waist, and she scrunched her eyebrows for a second before her eyes darted open.

A very tired, not to mention very naked, Klaus lay next to her, and the sight of his exposed chest and all the contoured muscles that came with it sent a tingling through her body. She looked down under the sheet at herself and realized she too was in nothing but her birthday suit. Silently, she cursed herself as memories from the night before came back to her in a flood of images. Carefully and slowly, she lifted his arm from her and set it back to his side, causing him to emit a low noise and roll over.

Flustered, she tiptoed out of bed and grabbed some clothes from her bag as the ones from last night were nowhere to be found. A hazy memory of Klaus ripping them off of her came back and she glanced in the corner to what remained of them and shook her head. Just as she was about to leave the room she paused and turned back: Klaus' jeans lay in the middle of the floor and she could just make out a phone sized square in the back pocket. Quickly she grabbed it and walked out of the room.

Caroline didn't know what she was going to do; the past 48 hours had been a whirlwind. She was trying to keep her head above water but she couldn't deny the chemistry between them and now it had taken over her twice. When he had come into her room last night, it had tipped her over the edge of her resolve, and she gave in to what she had been trying to fight for so long. With each flash of the previous night's touches she found herself wanting more, instead of trying to forget. She needed the only person who could talk some sense into her, even though she knew the risk of calling him.

She was able to creep out the back door and into the surrounding woods, making sure to get a safe distance away from unwanted ears, but close enough where Klaus would not accuse her of trying to escape.

"What do you want Klaus?"

"Stefan, it's me, Caroline" she whispered.

"Caroline? Are you still okay, where are you?"

"I'm back at casa de Klaus, I was able to sneak outside with his phone"

"How did you manage that?" Caroline paused, and bit her bottom lip, ruffling her hair with her free hand.

"Caroline…"

"Caroline, you know I of all people am not going to judge you. The line between good and bad is not as clear as the rest of them make it out to seem sometimes. We've all done bad things."

"Yeah but he killed Tyler's mother! What does that make me? I don't know what I'm doing anymore, I'm trying so hard to keep my head straight, but I can't explain it. I've been trying to do like you told me but it's getting harder. He makes me feel like there's something inside of me that's just going to freaking explode! What's wrong with me, I'm such a moron!"

"Slow down. The only thing that matters is that we help the people we care about right now, help keep Tyler safe and help Elena try to get some of her life back. How we get there is less important. Just remind yourself of that, and you won't get lost. We're getting really close to having a plan, Bonnie thinks she might be able to do a spell to trap him, you just have to hang in there a little longer and maintain his trust."

"Stefan, please don't tell anyone."

"Of course not. You'll get to see us at school in a few days, right?"

"Yeah…Oh my God! Tyler! How am I going to be able to look him in the face?" She waited for Stefan to respond with words of encouragement, but he said nothing back.

"Just hang in there Caroline." Her head darted back as she heard some shuffling from inside the house.

"I have to go Stefan, I'll see you in a couple days." She hung up the call and took a breath, just as she saw Klaus open the back door and start calling out for her. Flustered she took the phone and chucked it out into the woods as far as she could manage, then walked back towards the house.

"You know, it's not very polite to leave a bloke alone when he wakes up," he grinned at her as she continued to walk towards him, wearing an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of more relaxed pants than his usual.

"Sorry, I needed to replenish my stamina after last night." His face turned into a wicked smile that sent chills down her back.

"Indeed, I could use a hearty breakfast myself. And maybe after…"he grabbed her and pulled her close to him, trailing a finger down her face and making her blush.

"Maybe if you're lucky," she replied coyly. They went back inside towards the kitchen and Klaus delicately rested his hand on the small of her back. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of blood bags, which Caroline eyed jealously. Boy was she starving, she felt like she could drain a whole football team.

"Umm, you have an extra one in there?"

"I thought you just ate sweetheart, are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, I'm just a bit more hungry than usual. You can't keep a girl up all night like that and not expect her to be starving." Klaus chuckled and tossed an extra bag to her.

"What's with the blood bags anyway, I thought you preferred your meals 'straight from the vein'" Caroline mocked him with her best try at a British accent.

"Perhaps you've caused me to repent from my evil ways." He replied back to her between sips, he himself chugging down the contents as if he was dying of thirst. With a smirk, he wipes the blood off of his lips with his thumb sensually, causing Caroline to gulp and look away.

"Well love, you certainly proved you can keep up with an original hybrid."

"Well I've kinda had practice," Caroline muttered and immediately regretted the words as soon as they came out. Klaus squeezed the second bag in his hand so it burst in a bloody explosion all over the room.

"If it wasn't for you I'd have ended him, I'm still not quite sure why I haven't…" Caroline grabbed his bloodied hand and licked the blood off one of his fingers to distract him, darkness beginning to cloud his eyes.

"Forget him, he's not worth it." Klaus flipped her on top of the bloodied countertop and enraptured her in another deep kiss, stirring the desire in both of them yet again.

"I suppose I'll just have to try harder to erase him," he whispered in her ear as gently nibbled down her neck, continuing to play her like a harp.

They both collapsed back and stared up at the ceiling, sweating and panting as they returned back to reality. Caroline rolled her head back and silently cursed herself for falling into the trap yet again, and the lack of remorse she felt after the fact.

"At this rate you'll be the end of me darling."

"Do you have a bath? I'm feeling a bath right now."

"I have the most luxurious bathtub you'll find in all of Virginia, allow me to show you the way." Klaus led her back to his chambers, and revealed a drool-worthy bathroom fit for a king. Right next to the windows was an oversized Jacuzzi tub surrounded by columns, so big it looked like it could be a small pool. He opened up his arms to reveal it to her and then motioned for her to lead the way.

"Have a good soak love, I have a bit of business I need to attend to." He reached into his pocket and furrowed his brows, then patted himself down and looked up curiously towards Caroline.

"Have you seen my phone love?"

"Phone? Nope, it probably got thrown around somewhere in my room after last night's sexcapades." She turned her head and bit her lip, then began to run the bath water and go about her business. Klaus shook his head for a second and then smiled up at her.

"No worries, I'm sure it will turn up, and if not I'll just grab myself a new one, maybe that new banana phone they have out." Caroline burst out laughing and then pursed her lips when Klaus looked over at her angrily.

"I think you mean 'apple'…iphone," she let out a few chuckles that she couldn't hold back and then continued back. Clearly he was letting his age show, if he knew he was referring to a goofy human children's song he probably would have crapped twice and died.

"Whatever the bloody thing's called." He walked out looking almost a bit embarrassed and Caroline was happy she was able to veil stealing his phone and throwing it into the woods. After what seemed like waiting forever, the bath was finally full and filled with fragrant bubbles. Once she had completely disrobed, she eased into the bath and let out a long sigh, feeling her muscles relax at the contact.

A girl could get use to this, power, lavishness, not to mention mind-blowing sex. Unfortunately there were all the pesky strings attached she couldn't forget even if she tried, especially the consuming guilt.

"Ughhh, why couldn't he have just ignored me and went for Elena like everyone else does," Caroline buried her face in her hands, sunk her head under the water and ran her hands through her hair. There was some sort of fancy and wonderful smelling shampoo and conditioner nearby so she helped herself to it. With one final and relaxing rinse she sunk her head down into the water and popped back up, wiping the excess from her face and opening her eyes to find none other than Klaus staring right back at her. He looked furious and once she saw what was in his hand she knew why.

"I wonder what this was doing in the woods" she shivered in fear as he presented the phone to her and flipped through the screen.

"Ah yes, and I wonder why it seems I made a call to Stefan this morning?"

Caroline gulped.

"Shit."


	10. Chapter 10

Caroline swiftly jumped out of the tub and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself, but before she could get out of harm's way Klaus beat her to the chase and blocked the exit.

"Now now love, I suggest you sit down and do as you're told. Wouldn't want to make things any worse on yourself, would you?" Caroline gulped and backed down into a nearby cushioned antique chair by the vanity. Klaus began to pace back and forth while Caroline's thoughts were a flash of all the terrible things he was capable of.

"What I can't seem to understand, is why you would need to call Stefan. And furthermore, why you would need to lie about it?"

"I just needed to talk to someone okay? Sorry that's hard for you to understand since you don't have any friends." Klaus grabbed her by the shoulders a little too hard for comfort causing her to wince in pain.

"Don't make me have to compel you to tell me the truth," he growled back at her.

"I swear, that's all!"

"Well then, it seems you're still in need of a reminder of just how true I stay to my word. Here," he handed Caroline her phone from his pocket and she looked up at him in surprise.

"Call Tyler."

"Klaus, please no"

"CALL HIM!" Caroline pressed the numbers with shaking fingers and held it up to her face.

"And tell him he better leave town for good. If he isn't gone in the next two hours, I'll find him and kill him myself."

"Thank you."

"Caroline?" Tyler asked over the phone.

"Tyler, listen to me, you have to leave town right now. If you aren't gone in two hours Klaus is going to kill you."

"What? No! Tell that coward I'm not leaving without a fight!"

"Tyler, please, just go. It isn't worth dying over, you did it before, we'll find a way. I love you"

"I love you too Care, I'll find a way to keep in touch with you," Klaus ripped the phone from her hands.

"Tyler old chap, you're lucky you have your little girlfriend here, otherwise I'd have ripped your head off the second you first betrayed me. She was especially convincing when she was moaning my name last night." Caroline gasped in shock and covered her mouth with her hands.

"WHAT?" She could hear Tyler shouting and then Klaus smiled and dropped the phone into the full bathtub. He began walking out of the room and stopped just in front of Caroline, bending down to make sure his face was right in front of hers.

"Don't test me again sweetheart, otherwise I can't promise I will be so merciful," he continued walking out of the room and slammed the door on his way out. Caroline didn't know what to do, and she quickly began weeping from the overwhelming emotions. Tyler was gone and after Klaus' little outburst he surely hated her and would never forgive her for what she'd done, which was probably better for him as it would hopefully take him off of Klaus' radar. And again she was stuck here without anyone to pour her heart out to. Caroline pulled herself together and remembered something she had forgotten about: school started tomorrow. After toweling off and putting some clothes on, she went back to her room and sat in silence, trying to figure out how she could talk to the others about a plan without Klaus going nuts again. Surely Klaus would have someone following her or compelled to spy on her all day, it seemed inevitable. After several hours that went by quickly, she realized the sun had gone down, so she read a bit more and then decided to get ready for bed.

"Are you just going to sit in there and pout all night?" She heard Klaus shout from the hallway.

"I'm not talking to you!" She shouted back, and then heard his footsteps fade into the distance. Good. She really didn't feel up for dealing with him right now, he made things too cloudy, and she was still furious at what he did to Tyler.

When she woke up in the morning, there was a blood bag waiting for her on a silver platter next to the bed, and she quickly slurped it down while she got ready for school.

"Caroline dear, it's time to go!" She rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag, then walked out and met Klaus at the front door.

"I would have packed a lunch for you, but I'm all out of those darling little brown paper bags," Klaus smiled at her and she scoffed at him.

"I'm still mad at you."

"Oh come now, everyone is still alive and well. Now, I have a driver waiting outside to take you to school, he'll pick you up at the end of the day."

"Just make sure he comes at 5, I have cheerleading practice today." Caroline started walking outside and felt Klaus grab her arm, his touch sending little bolts of electricity through her.

"Remember love, I have eyes and ears in the most peculiar of places, we wouldn't want a repeat of last night now would we?"

"No" Caroline replied softly. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it before opening one of the main double doors and hurrying her off to school.

Mystic Falls High School was the same as it ever was, abuzz with excited students returning from their winter breaks. It always seemed surreal to Caroline, how oblivious everyone else was to all the chaos that they dealt with on a daily basis, unaware of the cesspool of supernatural activity going on around them. After stopping by her locker to pick up some books, she spotted Elena walking down the hallway, and she also noticed a dazed brunette staring at her intently around the corner. Caroline grabbed Elena by the arm and motioned for her to go into the girl's bathroom. They went in and quickly checked all the stalls before turning on the faucets.

"Klaus has a minion following me," Caroline told Elena, who shrugged in response.

"Well I have great news Caroline, we were able to find the location of the cure, we're getting ready to fly out and get it."

"Thank God, that is great news!"

"Listen…we need you to stay here and keep an eye on Klaus."

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Caroline responded, arms crossed.

"I know things are tough right now Caroline, but you're the only one who seems to be able to break through to him on anything. We'll get him to my house and Bonnie's spell should trap him there, after that all you have to do is baby-sit and make sure he stays out of the way."

"Elena, before you guys commit to this plan there's something I should tell you. Klaus gave me a proposition: if I promise to stay with him the two of us will leave town and he'll abandon the cure and leave everyone alone." Elena signed and started shaking her head.

"Just think about it, all of our problems would be solved, and you guys wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. I mean he'd keep me safe at least, besides I'm pretty sure Tyler will never speak to me again."

"Why wouldn't he talk to you Caroline, he loves you?" Crap, Caroline let it slip without thinking, and she wished she could put her foot in her mouth.

"Oh, well, I don't know, Klaus made him leave and everything, and the exchange wasn't really pleasant. I'm sure he's upset about it."

"I'm sure that's not true. None of us would ever ask you to do that. This way won't involve any of us to sacrifice out freedom. Kol's been back and is going absolutely crazy about the potential for waking up Silas, he's compelled Damon to kill Jeremy. Strangely enough, Klaus has actually agreed that he's an issue and needs to be stopped. All we have to do is get Kol to my house and then tell Klaus to show up and discuss what to do. Then Bonnie will perform the spell and trap him there so we can go get the cure."

"Alright, if that's what you guys think is best, I'm on board. So when is this going to happen and how will I know if it works or not?"

"Tomorrow night if all goes according to plan. Stefan will go to Klaus' mansion and get you if it works. If not…I guess you'll just have to sit tight"

"OK," Caroline replied as the door burst open and Klaus' sister walked in, devious as ever.

"Oh yeah, and Rebekkah's back."

"Well, if it isn't perfect Miss Elena, and my brother's new little toy."

"We need to get to class Rebekkah, we don't want any trouble," Elena replied back, trying to push past her.

"How does it feel knowing that the past love of your life wants to forget everything about you?"

"Leave her alone Rebekkah, she wasn't trying to hurt anyone, she was just trying to do what makes her happy," Elena looked back at her in astonishment.

"What's gotten into you Caroline?"

"Nothing! We're going to be late," she hurried past Rebekkah and slung her bag over her shoulder, then headed to history class.

The rest of the day was uneventful, all her fellow cheerleaders were abuzz with talk about their next competition and student council was concerned with the next decade dance, but she found herself spacing out in every conversation. No matter what she was doing, her mind kept wandering to Klaus, how angry she was at him for what he did to Tyler, and how she wanted nothing more than to feel his hands on her again. Maybe it was some side effect of their blood sharing, at least that was what she tried to tell herself, she didn't want to consider the alternative.

"Arghhh" She said out loud while Bonnie was trying to talk to her about how completely messed up creepy as hell Professor Shane turned out to be. Caroline had tried to pay attention but had stopped listening once she got into it about her Dad and instead started thinking about banging Klaus on top of the kitchen counter.

"Caroline? What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Just you know, this whole situation, being in some creepy Beauty and the Beast remake" Caroline replied quickly, trying to put up a good defense.

"Don't they fall in love in that?" Bonnie replied, looking suspicious.

"Sorry, bad analogy…" Saved by the bell, class was over.

"Let's catch up tomorrow, I have to go to cheerleading practice!" Caroline shouted back at her, grabbing her bag and high-tailing it out to the locker room. After she changed she made her way to the gym, she found Rebekkah was already practicing splits with the other girls. Just great. She spent the rest of practice trying to go through the new routine with everyone while Rebekkah suggested they change just about every part of it. Caroline couldn't be too upset though: Rebekkah was actually making an effort and seemed to be enjoying herself, and as long as she wasn't causing trouble, she could live with it.

After putting away the ipod dock and gathering her bag, Caroline walked to the front of the school and waited to get picked up with some of the younger girls.

"Why don't you have your car Caroline?"

"Oh, um, it's in the shop, I have to get a ride from…" Before she could finish she heard the young freshman gasp in shock, and when she looked up she saw a shiny black vintage Jaguar that probably cost more than her mom's house come screeching into the parking lot. Klaus exited the vehicle and gave her a small wave and a devilish grin. His walk radiated confidence; he was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans and had a black leather jacket on, wayfarer sunglasses covering his eyes in style. He looked amazing, and by the comments from the other girls, she wasn't the only one who thought it.

"Dang Caroline, good job," the tiny brunette freshman whispered to her as Klaus got closer, which made Caroline subconsciously smile.

"Ready then, love?" Caroline tried to speak but nothing came out so she offered a small nod, waved to the rest of the girls and followed him back to the car.

"Mind if I take the scenic route?"

"Go for it," Caroline replied without emotion, and then suddenly squealed as the car lurched forward. Klaus smiled and shifted the car to the next gear, speeding through the country roads, and Caroline rolled down her window and let the wind blow against her face and through her hair. The breeze was cold but her vampire skin wasn't bothered by it too much, she closed her eyes to focus on the feeling. As Klaus shifted to the next gear she laughed and braced herself, and he turned and gave her a sly grin and let out a little laugh of his own. She could see the mansion come up in the distance and Klaus let the tires skid as the turned into the driveway.

"You do that a lot speed racer?" She asked him with raised eyebrows and a smile.

"When I can, the feeling of going fast in a fine piece of machinery is an unmatched pleasure, with one exception of course," he looked down and then up again at her with a bashful smile. Caroline smiled and then forced a neutral expression, she couldn't just put aside what he did to Tyler. The silence was getting too uncomfortable, so she grabbed her bag from the back seat.

"Well, I need a shower soooo, I'll be going now."

"May I join you?" He replied, smooth as silk, stepping in front of her so she couldn't avoid him. She opened her mouth without thinking to say yes, but stopped herself.

"Umm, no." Caroline elbowed past him and walked into the house, he was breaking down her resolve again and she was fighting it with every inch of her being. It was hard to remind herself of their situation and all the reasons why she should hate him when he was just being so damn nice and charming and fun.

"Well in that case, may I take you somewhere special tonight for dinner and drinks?" She kept walking and didn't acknowledge him.

"If you go with me I'll give you your phone back." That caught her dead in her tracks. What could it hurt? This was the last night with him anyway, she might as well get another glitzy wine and dine over it. Plus, she could have her phone back and get some more contact with the outside world. Maybe he had realized how much he overreacted to her call to Stefan and this was his way of apologizing. She just needed to play the role for one more night, right?

"OK."


	11. Chapter 11

Klaus was frazzled as he prepared for the evening, running just a little bit of product in his hair to control the wild curls into organized chaos. After the events of the previous day, and his ultimatum for Tyler, he was sure that Caroline would have hated him. Somehow though, she still was tolerating him, perhaps he had been too quick to assume she was playing him. Perhaps she did have feelings for him. The thought made him feel like his chest was about to explode, and he tried to contain his excitement and finish preening in the mirror. Opting to go more casual, he had chosen a slate gray button up shirt with a crisp blazer and dark washed jeans. He had taken the time to choose a beautiful dress for Caroline, and had it delivered to her room.

Once his appearance was to his satisfaction, he walked to the other wing and peeked in Caroline's door. She was in a huff, putting on one pair of shoes and then making a face and throwing them off again. He gently knocked at the door and peeked in. She looked up at him in frustration, she was wearing a short black dress that was fitted to her waist and flared out, beautiful but much too simple to compliment her exquisite beauty.

"You're not wearing the dress I sent you?"

"No." She said tight-lipped, looking back into her bag and digging furiously for shoes.

"I like mine better." After pulling on the pair of heels he'd gotten her for New York, she let out a sigh of defeat and started trying on necklaces. Her fingers graced a beautiful and intricate bib necklace that had drops of gemstones hanging off of it. As she lifted her arms to secure the necklace, her figure was accentuated, and he felt his heart skip a beat as he remembered the way the moonlight hit the curves of her bare skin.

"It suits you well," Klaus finally said softly, unsure whether or not she even heard him. Grabbing a clutch on the bed, she walked towards him and finally looked up.

"Ready?" She seemed irritated with something, perhaps offering her the dress had crossed a line, or she had remembered how terrible he was and decided not to forgive him. Klaus nodded and led the way to the front door, out to the black Jag he had picked her up in earlier. She had seemed to enjoy it and he hoped to recreate the same feelings tonight, but he didn't plan to push his luck and try to bed her again unless she gave him the green light. Caroline got in without hesitation and looked out the window, and he revved the engine and turned out of the driveway.

"So where are we going anyway?"

"I've been allowed to use one of the founding family's lake houses. Since the weather has been unseasonably lovely, I figured we could dine under the stars by the water." He smiled over at her and saw the hint of a smile grace her lips before falling from sight.

"The lake is nice. Elena used to invite Bonnie and me out to her lake house in the summer, before her parents died. Back when all of us were just normal teenagers."

"Do you honestly miss it?" Caroline looked up at him and fiddled with her necklace, pausing before she opened her mouth to respond.

"No. Things seem better for me this way. But I wish that all of us hadn't lost so many people we love. It never gets easy having to watch the people you care about die, something you wouldn't know anything about since you're the one who's usually killing them."

"That's why you don't care about anyone love."

"You don't really believe that" she said back to him.

"Of course I do darling."

"No you don't" she laughed and he frowned in response, "you create hybrids to keep you company, you try to reunite your family. You wine and dine me and ask me to stay by your side as your companion…that's all you want!" Klaus clenched his jaw, but saw they had reached their destination and parked the car.

"I do care about you Caroline. All I want is to protect you and be worthy of you." He wished she could just believe him, it felt like he had said the same thing hundreds of times before but she refused to trust him. He looked at her sincerely and she looked deeply back at him, but then shifted her eyes down and back out of the window.

"Well, I don't need protecting." She opened the door and let herself out of the car and let him lead the way into the house. As he opened the porch door he unmistakably heard her gasp in awe at the scene he had laid out for them. It hadn't been difficult to muster up, the porch and dock were lined with white candles and a small string quartet had been set up in the corner and played softly enough to still hear the gentle ebb and flow of the water. In the middle of the porch, there was a single table laid out and set for two. He pulled the chair out for her and poured them each a glass of champagne. Caroline laughed.

"You're kidding me right? This is ridiculous…" Klaus' face dropped in disappointment, he thought it would please her.

"It's…perfect. I wish I could find something wrong with it." His smile lit up again and he pulled out a chair for her. He saw her look out at the water and close her eyes slightly at the breeze, then opened them up and sighed slightly.

"Ah, what I wouldn't give to know what thoughts linger behind those beautiful eyes."

"You make it so hard you know."

"Hard to what love?"

"Hard to hate you."

"Why must you always fight yourself?"

"Because I have to separate what feels right and what IS right."

"What's so wrong about doing what you want?"

"When what I want hurts the people I love, how can I? If someone killed one of your hybrids that you consider your family, would you feel good about getting in bed with them?" Klaus scrunched his face and opened his mouth to respond but then stopped.

"I suppose not. But I try not to focus on what other people want me to do, and make my own rules. Why follow the rules others set for you when you can make your own?"

"That sounds like a good way to end up alone." He looked down at his plate and took a large gulp of wine that had been poured out for them. She was right, like she always was, peering into his soul and telling him the ugly truth that lies beneath, cutting him back down to size. Her eyes met his defiantly, and her pale porcelain skin glowed in the moonlight, blonde curls gently waving with the wind. The shame he felt melted into admiration at her beauty and he smirked slightly as he shoveled a juicy bite of filet into his mouth.

"What's that for?"

"You look like a _Samodiva_ love"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Many years ago, right around the time I met our dear Katerina, there were stories the villagers used to tell. Creatures of the woods, fearsome and beautiful with glowing skin and long blonde hair, who seduced men in the woods with their dance and killed them from exhaustion."

"You must have never seen me dance…" Caroline laughed.

"But I thought you were one of those cheering girls…you know with the short little skirts," he raised an eyebrow at her and they both laughed.

"Cheering is one thing, but I don't think my dance moves would ever be legendary." They had both finished dinner and Klaus set down his fork and knife, took one last swig of wine, and walked over to her. Offering his hand he bowed down slightly and she looked back at him with a little surprise and amusement.

"I don't believe you. I think a demonstration is in order." Much to his delight she smiled back and took his hand, and he signaled to the quartet to play a bit louder for them, this time a tango and she gasped as he sharply pushed her closer to him with the music and then spun her to the side and back.

"I don't think I know this one," she said nervously.

"No worries love, just follow my lead" he pushed the two of them apart and then together again, taking hold of her hand and slowly stepping back with her. In short concise movements, he spun her to the left and right and then grabbed her left leg and pulled it up to him. He could hear her heart beat faster at the contact, especially when he righted her up again and placed his hands on her hips to direct them to and fro.

She must have caught on quickly, because after he led her through the moves once, she needed no more direction. Her smile was infectious as she flicked her legs and wrapped them around him, and then let him twirl and dip her. Klaus wished the music would go on forever as he stared deeply into her eyes and let his hands trail along her décolleté, but as he knew it would, the song stopped and they both stood breathless.

"Well I suppose we should head back"

"Do you not have the house all night?" Caroline protested and her cheeks flushed, to his surprise.

"Well, yes, I just figured with school tomorrow you would prefer…"

"To hell with school." Caroline said as she grabbed her glass of wine and downed the contents.

"Keep it going!" She shouted to the quartet, threw her arms up in the air, and shimmied her way over to him. Klaus was in shock as she grabbed his arms and pulled them onto her glorious posterior.

Several songs and a bottle of wine later he saw Caroline walk over to the quartet and whisper something. Shortly after they began packing up their instruments and heading towards the front of the house. A devilish grin was on her face as she slowly walked towards him hair blowing in the wind.

"My my sweetheart, I don't know what's gotten into you tonight, but I must say…I like it." Klaus cocked an eyebrow at her and took a few steps closer. As if in a dream, Caroline stood in the moonlight, bent over and lifted her dress over her head, then removed her undergarments and gave him a suggestive grin before running off of the dock and jumping into the water. Laughing like a child she splashed around and spun in circles.

"What are you waiting for? The water feels amazing!" Klaus stood for a second to take in the scene around him. He mused whether or not he could remember a more perfect night, but it was difficult for him to recall anything close. Fumbling fingers unbuttoned his shirt and removed his pants, boxer briefs soon following, and then his eyes looked up and sparkled in the moonlight.

"Are you sure you're not a _Samodiva_?"'

"Guess you have all night to find out." Klaus shrugged and dove gracefully off the dock and into the water, flipping his wet curls back as he emerged. Caroline swam up to him and put a hand behind his head, running her nose along his cheek before pulling him into a kiss, then gently nibbled on his lower lip.

"Is this a dream?" She whispered in his ear.

"If it is, I hope I never wake up." He said back to her, stealing another kiss in the light of the full moon.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for your reviews, they keep me focused! The Originals got picked up…good for tVD but looks like bad for Klaroline lovers unless they do a lot of crossover episodes Guess I'll just have to use fanfic as an outlet for their unrequited love!

Caroline woke on the floor covered in a sheet; Klaus was already awake and sitting just outside on the porch.

"I don't know what I ever did before my daylight ring, what a lovely thing to have to miss out on without it."

"What time is it?" Caroline asked him, yawning and stretching.

"Judging by the sun's position...maybe noon"

"Wow, I can't believe I slept so late." Klaus smiled and looked up at her.

"Well, we did stay up quite late if I remember right, I must say you were quite the insatiable minx last night, you wore both of us out, and that's saying something considering I am one of the most powerful creatures in existence."

It had been quite an evening, the overwhelming nature of his romantic gesture and the alcohol had finally snapped whatever restraint had been holding her back. She was sick of fighting it, and maybe she would feel guilty tomorrow, maybe even by the end of the day, but in the moment and even now she was happy. And that was enough for now, consequences be damned. Klaus got up from his chair and turned towards her, with a glance that sent chills down her spine reflecting her fear and excitement. He stopped in front of her and put a finger to his mouth.

"This just will not do," he said examining her. In one fluid motion he had pulled away the sheet and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Hey, put me down!" She laughed kicking and batting at him with her hands, which caused him to plop her down and move her to face into a wall, pressing himself into her from behind.

"Put your hands up and leave them there," he demanded. Caroline gulped and followed his instructions, and soon she felt his full lips make contact with her neck, her excitement already beginning to pool.

"You are stunning, do you know that?" His hand traveled further south and she let out a gasp before she was able to form the words to respond to him. Just as suddenly he flipped her around again so she faced him, his eyes darkening as the animals inside started to come out again to play. With skilled fingers he removed his shirt and stood in front of her in all his glory, skin glowing in the sun and chiseled chest exposed with a small tuft of curly chest hair adorning it, just one of his ancient trinkets hanging from his neck. Cautiously, Caroline reached out and held it in her hand. It looked like it had been carved out of wood, with some sort of ancient language scribed around it.

"Where did you get this? It's beautiful."

"It was my youngest brother's," he paused and turned to the side for a second and she swore she saw sorrow flash across his face. It was short lived, he immediately turned back to her and darkness covered his eyes.

"I told you to keep your hands up," he growled back at her.

"What shall I do to punish you?" He raised an eyebrow and leaned into her, fangs exposed, hands traveling further south to torture her with slow and experienced ministrations. As if he knew, he stopped as she was just short of release, causing her to whimper in protest. Pushing her hair to the side, he suddenly sunk his teeth into her neck and pushed her over the edge as the most intense feeling of euphoria swept over her, she felt her legs come out from under her but he caught her as he continued to drink from her. He pulled away gasping himself, wiping her blood from his mouth and sucking it from his thumb.

"Oh my God." Caroline said with rasping voice as she started to fall from whatever heaven she had briefly encountered. Klaus smiled as he held her in his arms, clearly pleased with his handiwork, and then bit into his wrist and offered it to her.

"You must drink love, I need you to regain your strength, and I need to have you at least two more times before the day is done."

Caroline lie panting on the ground, this all day sex-a-thon had her famished, and as if he could read her mind Klaus went to the door and someone handed him a couple blood bags, one of which he tossed in her direction. Downing the bag in large gulps, she reached for her phone and saw school should be getting out soon.

She suddenly remembered she had cheerleading practice, they had a big competition coming up, otherwise she would have just skipped it. Mentally, she kicked herself for forgetting. They still had a whole new routine to learn in just a few short weeks, she had to be there.

"Hey, would you mind dropping me off at school for cheerleading practice? I'm teaching a new routine."

"I will never understand these high school customs. While I would much rather keep you here with me, I suppose I can do that." Caroline went to make herself look more presentable and then gathered her things, and when she returned Klaus was already holding the car door open for her. They both got in and the hot little car sped off down the road, as Klaus kept looking over at her smiling and shaking his head.

"What?" Caroline demanded. Klaus shifted gears and then sighed.

"Every time I think I have you figured out you surprise me. In all of my years, there has never been anyone quite like you: fearsome, beautiful, kind hearted, and my, my, what a hellcat underneath." Caroline blushed and smiled.

"Uhh thanks I guess?" Klaus paused and took a deep breath.

"Come away with me."

"It's not that easy."

"You said you would once before."

"Ha, under the conditions I said that I probably would have promised to light myself on fire and run naked through the town square."

"Just think about it, we could go anywhere in the world your heart desires, explore the world by day and each other by night." The idea was more appealing with the passing of each day, graduation was coming up, and she didn't know what the next step was. They pulled up in front of school and she got out of the car, but his hand grabbed her wrist.

"Promise me you'll think about it," he said pleading with her.

"Ok, I'll think about it." Caroline got out of the car and looked back at him, both smiling in happiness. As she got into the doors of the gym someone grabbed her and pulled her into the hallway. Stefan looked around and led her further into a dark classroom.

"You're playing with fire Caroline."

"Who cares? Like any of you have any room to judge me anyway! You butchered hundreds of people, Damon killed Lexi, Vickie, and tried to kill Alaric and Jeremy, even pristine Elena has gotten her hands dirty."

"Caroline, promise me you'll do what Elena asked, this has to work tonight if there's any hope for us securing the cure. You can't blow our cover. We need you to watch him while we're gone and make sure nothing happens."

"I'm sick of being everyone's pawn in all this; can't I just do what I want for once?"

"I get it Caroline, I do, but this is Klaus we're talking about here. We can't trust him. This is the safest move to make, and it has to be done. Don't forget what he's done, think about Tyler." Tyler, God what would he think of her for all this? Caroline rolled the words around in her head, and she hated it, but knew he was right. This was the best option; if everything was going to go smoothly he had to be removed from the equation.

"Fine. Just tell me once you have him trapped and you're ready to leave so I can take over Klaus-sitting duty. She walked away and immediately went into the gym where the team was waiting. Rebekah stood in the front and was tapping her toe impatiently.

"Finally. What's the excuse this time?"

"I don't want to talk about it Rebekah, let's just get started." Practice went relatively smoothly and was a welcome escape from everything going on in her head at the moment. Klaus picked her up when it was over and took her back to the house. When she sat in silence most of the trip, he expressed concern.

"Is everything okay love?"

"Yeah, just tired, it's been a long day," she forced a smile back to him.

"I have to take care of some business, so I'm just going to drop you off. You should have a bath, relax, and when I get back I'll have them fix us something to eat," Caroline nodded back to him and looked out of the window. He pulled up to the front entrance of the house and went around to open the door for her, helping her out. She walked towards the front door and turned around as he was getting back into the car.

"Wait." She said back him, and he perked up. She had a choice to make: she could betray him or her friends. There was no safe choice, either would come with consequences, and neither was foolproof. There wasn't much time to consider, so she made her choice quickly and confidently.

"Never mind, see you in a little bit," she responded back to him, and walked into the house. She watched through the window as his car sped away and walked up the stairs and into his room for comfort. In his work area she looked at several canvases he was working on supported by easels and saw one that stopped her dead in her tracks. It was a departure from his usual angry brushstrokes with harsh blacks and reds. The colors were soft and fluid and full of happiness. Caroline sat on the floor in front of it and wept, the dream was over, and reality finally set in.


	13. Chapter 13

Caroline had lost track of how much time she had spent sitting there weeping when her phone rang. It was Elena so she knew things must have gone according to plan. Composing herself and clearing her throat, Caroline answered the call.

"Hi Elena"

"Hey Caroline, we've got him here so you're free to leave! Finally, right!"

"Yeah! That's great news," Caroline replied with mock enthusiasm.

"Listen, all of us still have some stuff to get together, you should stop at home and see your mom before you head over. I'll text you once we're ready to leave so you can take over."

"Yeah, sure."

"Is everything okay Caroline?" She stopped for a moment and almost considered spilling her guts to Elena; it would be amazing to be able to confide in her. But how could Elena understand? Klaus had killed her aunt Jenna, tried to kill Jeremy, killed her even! He'd turned Stefan against her, tried to bleed her dry.

"Yeah, everything's fine, just a lot to process, the past couple of weeks have been so eventful."

"The past few years have been pretty eventful, but yeah I know what you mean. Just take some time to unwind and I'll see you in a bit." Caroline hung up the phone and rubbed her face, then picked herself up off of the floor and headed out of the door. Before she left though, she stopped and turned back into the room and went for an intricately carved armoire. She opened it to find several trinkets Klaus wore from time to time, similar to the necklace he had had on tonight. Looking around in paranoia even though she knew no one was there, she snatched up what looked to be an ornately painted piece of bone hanging from a long chain and hung it around her neck. Delicately she held the piece in her hand and then went back out the door, texting her mom in the process that she needed her to pick her up ASAP.

Once she got back to her room she hurriedly re-packed her bag, including the gifts Klaus had gotten her over Christmas. Once everything was together she made her way to the grand rotunda in the entrance and took a few deep breaths. It pained her to say she didn't want to leave, she wished she could stay forever, but the worst thought of it all was that in a few short hours she would have to face him again.

Out of the window she could see her mom's headlights pull up and she quickly went out of the front door and into the car. Liz gave her a firm hug and drove off.

"So what's going on?"

"They got him to Elena's and Bonnie trapped him there with a spell. They are going to look for this cure with the crazy professor, I have to go over in a few hours and watch him." Without thinking, Caroline's breath hitched.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes, and she couldn't hold it in any longer, she had to tell someone, and if anyone would forgive her for feeling anything for him it had to be her mom.

"Mom, I, he, I just," the tears spilled from her eyes before she could form the words, but somehow she saw a sense of knowing in her mother.

"You care about him don't you?" Still unable to speak Caroline just nodded and looked down at her lap.

"I think it's pretty obvious he cares about you, it all started that night he made Tyler bite you. Of all the horrible things he's done for some reason you seem to bring out a better side of him."

"Yeah the horrible things he's done what does that make me?"

"It makes a part of you still human. Sometimes we don't pick who we love, and sometimes the people that seem so evil are just lost and need to be found. Maybe he can change, but maybe he can't. You've grown into a beautiful, strong, intelligent woman. I can't make decisions for you Caroline, and neither can anyone else, you have to make them yourself."

"Thanks mom," Caroline sniffled. They got to the house and she went back to her room and unpacked her bag. It felt like a lifetime ago that she was here, but everything was just how it had been left. Still covered in sweat from practice, she figured a shower was in order and cleaned off, then did her hair in her usual loose curls. Shifting through the contents of her closet, she caught a glance of the dress he had given her for his family's ball. With determination she pursed her lips and continued flipping through until she found a comfy striped t-shirt which she paired with a blazer and jeans. Maybe she still didn't know what she wanted, but she could at least look good. After applying some light makeup Elena texted her to come over.

Caroline grabbed her bag and keys and headed out the door.

"Care?" Her mom called out.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful honey."

"I will mom." It felt good to be in her car again, it made her feel more in control, stronger. As she pulled up to the house, Elena came out to meet her at the front door. After embracing her in a hug, she handed her the keys to the house.

"He's inside, and I'm just going to warn you, he is NOT happy, not that anyone would expect him to be." Caroline shrugged in agreement and peaked inside to see Jeremy, Stefan, and Damon. Jeremy had a couple bags and smiled at her as he left the house and put them into their car.

"Oh yeah, and Jeremy had to kill Kol before Klaus showed up, which he also isn't happy about. He's spouting out threats like he has in the past and we're a little worried he might do something rash."

"So what, you're going to put me right in his crosshairs?!" Caroline protested.

"Bonnie's spell will hold, she's stronger now than I've ever seen her before, just be careful and keep your distance."

"Don't worry about me, just go get this cure so we can be done with all of this and get back to normal." They both exchanged sideways glances and Caroline quickly corrected herself.

"Well back to normal for us, you know what I mean." The two friends hugged and Elena followed her brother out to the car with her own bags. Damon walked through the doorframe and paused to put his hand on her shoulder to assure her.

"Don't screw this up blondie, just remember, if he gets out of line, aim for right here," he drew a circle with his finger around his heart and then handed her one of the white oak stakes that was left. Someone must have gotten it from Rebekah, and she could only imagine it had been Stefan. She gave Damon a sarcastic smile and then he walked away. Stefan came out next and grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her off to the side where they were out of earshot to the others. He spoke in whispers so that even the perceptive hearing couldn't detect him.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Do I really have much of a choice?"

"I guess not. Just be quick on your feet, if there's one thing Klaus is good at it's using someone's feelings against them to get what he wants. If you need anything let me know, we're going to send you some reinforcements when we can."

"Reinforcements?" Stefan nervously shifted and then motioned to the others who were calling for him to hurry up; he gave her a big hug and then went off. Caroline mustered up her courage and then walked inside; Klaus was standing in the living room of the house, and looked like he was testing Bonnie's walls for weakness, to no avail. Sensing her presence he turned around and gave her an evil grin.

"My how the tables have turned"

"You did this to yourself."

"Did I? If memory serves, your little friends Elena and Bonnie did this. But I am thousands of years old; maybe my memory is starting to slip. What do they have you here for? To twist the dagger a little bit more, maybe kill another one of my siblings?"

"I'm sorry about Kol, that wasn't part of the plan."

"The plan aye? I guess I should have known better, you are generally what they bait me with, aren't you? So what was last night then, just some way to keep me out of the way until Bonnie could do one of her magic spells?"

"You know that's not true," Caroline said softly.

"I don't know what to think anymore." The doorbell rang and Caroline went to get it, assuming it was the reinforcement Stefan was referring to. She opened the door and her eyes got wide with disbelief.

"Tyler?" Tyler embraced her in a hug and then peeked in. Caroline suddenly remembered Klaus' last phone call to him.

"Listen Tyler I need to tell you..."

"We can talk later Caroline; I want to look this jerk in the face after everything he's done." Caroline gulped and prepared for the scene that was about to play out. As they rounded the corner Klaus was propped up against the invisible wall and started laughing.

"Perfect. Who else are you all going to bring in to torture me? Tell me old friend, didn't I warn you not to come back?"

"I don't think you're in the position to be making threats right now Klaus. And I don't take orders from you anymore."

"You really don't know what you're getting yourself into do you? When I say something I mean it, and maybe it won't be now but mark my words: I will get out of here eventually and when I do you better hope you are far far away from here."

"Why doesn't everyone just calm down for a second and play nice!"

"So now you're standing up for him? I thought our arrangement made things perfectly clear," Klaus hissed to her.

"Why don't you leave her alone, she isn't your prisoner anymore!"

"Prisoner, is it? Funny, it didn't seem like she was my prisoner when she was writhing under my fingertips, or screaming out my name."

"Your lies won't work on me, I broke your little sire bond."

"Who said anything about lies old chap, ask her yourself." Tyler shifted his angry gaze to Caroline, who stood petrified and remorseful; she couldn't meet his eyes so she just looked down to the floor. She had always had a terrible poker face, and right now she was sure her face read like an open book.

"Tyler I'm, I'm sorry that I"

"Sorry that you what!? I thought his little comment on the phone was just to try to get a rise out of me. He killed my mother, he manipulated me to try to kill you, and you slept with him!?"

"Ahem, multiple times, I might add," Klaus chipped in from behind them.

"Shut up Klaus! Listen Tyler, just let me explain."

"What is there to explain? God Caroline, I can't even look at you right now. Don't you get it? This is all part of his master scheme, he told me he would take everything from me to make up for the hybrids. Well guess what; he has, you were the only thing I had left." Tyler grabbed his things and headed to the door.

"Tyler, where are you going?" Caroline pleaded after him.

"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell not staying here. I'll leave you two alone, since that's what you want. Looks like you won Klaus, hope that makes you happy, but look around. You're still trapped in a cell alone aren't you?" Tyler slammed the door behind him and Caroline walked into the kitchen and started making a drink without thinking twice, grabbing whatever was at the front of the liquor cabinet.

"Mind making me one while you're down there."

"Fuck off Klaus, Tyler's right, you got what you wanted. You carried out your vengeful plot against Tyler, took everything away from him, bet it feels pretty good."

"It didn't get everything I wanted. All I wanted was to be with you, teaching a lesson to Tyler for his disobedience was merely icing on the cake."

"Well guess what, you can't trust me and I can't trust you either, so I guess that makes two of us. You have no emotions anymore, and I was stupid enough to give you mine." Caroline threw back the drink and poured another one, and then she stormed upstairs to Elena's room and shut the door. She heard Klaus calling out her name angrily from downstairs but she ignored him, and he finally gave up. Hopelessly, she tried calling Tyler and left him several voicemails, pleading with him to forgive her. After her fourth failed attempt, she rolled over and buried her head in her hands. What was she doing?

When she woke the next day she saw she had two messages waiting for her on her cell. One was Tyler telling her to stop calling- that he was going away for a while and he needed time before he could talk to her again. The other was a text with pictures from Elena, they needed a sword Klaus had somewhere in his house decrypted to help lead the way. Naturally, they wanted her to pry the information from him. Caroline rolled her eyes in irritation and stormed downstairs. Klaus had been sitting on the couch with his fists clenched but he brightened and straightened up when he saw her descending the stairs.

"Alright, I need you to tell me where this sword is and then I need you to tell me how to get the map."

"Sure thing love, would you like me to prepare you breakfast and serve it to you as well? I'm trapped in a room, because of you and your friends, the promise Stefan made me to remain equal in all of this has been broken, and there is no longer any incentive to me getting the cure anymore to protect myself from death. So why, darling, would I want to help you? What's in it for me?"

"First off, you owe it to me for all the crap you pulled with Tyler. Second, you and I both know that all my friends want the cure for Elena and not you. What if we promise that she'll use the cure, and whoever else wants it, and that the rest will be hidden or destroyed. You'll also have more doppelganger blood for your hybrids, sounds like a win win if you ask me." Klaus paused and clenched his jaw, knowing she was right.

"Alright, I'll tell you where it is, and how to decode it. But, there is something you'll have to do first. Quid quo pro."

"And what's that?"

Klaus smiled one of his trademark evil grins and folded his fingers together

"Well, that's just the thing; you're not going to like it."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback! Good luck on your exam Beautiful Dead, I hope the story didn't distract you too much! I saw some promo pics with Klaus and Caroline at graduation, maybe at least a goodbye kiss in order!? One can only hope, I will not give up hoping either! In the meantime, here is a little more to tide you over.

Klaus smiled as he saw Caroline gulp and then cross her arms to try to stand her ground. He loved that she never gave into him without protest, it amused him.

"Alright so what is it you want me to do?"

"I want you to beg me to help you." He said with a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face.

"To beg you?"

"On your knees. And mean it."

"You are so delusional, do you know that?" She responded in disbelief, shaking her head at him and tossing her loose curls to the side.

"Those are the terms love, take it or leave it."

"Fine." In anger she kicked off her shoes and kneeled down, sitting back on her heels. She clasped her hands together and looked up at him with doe eyes and a pageant smile.

"Klaus, master of the universe, please in your infinite wisdom help us to decipher how to get the cure." Klaus frowned, her voice was dripping with sarcasm, clearly she didn't believe him.

"I said…mean it." He growled back at her, she rolled her eyes and got up to her feet, then folded her arms again.

"I can sit here all day, and the day after that you know. I know your witches little voodoo, her spell won't last past the full moon." Klaus smiled in amusement as he saw the conflict in Caroline's expression, after some hesitation she finally scoffed and got down again. She looked like she was fighting something else, something deeper that had her off of her usual game. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was; maybe the incident with his petulant former hybrid minion was still resonating.

"Klaus will you help me, please?" Her voice was nervous and slightly wavering, and there was some sadness to it. He paused, wanting to push her further, but refrained. She sounded honest, and true, and he was satisfied enough to give the information up since he was already planning on it.

"Go to my house, it's in my room under the mattress."

"Under the mattress, are you kidding me? I humiliated myself in front of you so you can tell me that your secret hiding spot is the same as a 13 year old girl?"

"I don't recall asking for your opinion on the matter, I haven't helped you decode it yet now have I? Now be quick about it and spare me your remarks before I change my mind." Caroline paused for a moment in hesitation and then grabbed her purse and keys off the kitchen counter, and quickly went out of the front door. Klaus watched her through the window as she ran off to her little car and sped down the street.

This situation was demoralizing. Klaus hated to be confined, to be caged like a dog, he was an Original, the Hybrid, and he would not be reduced to a prisoner. They would pay for what they'd done to him, he would show them their place; remind them what he could do. Caroline's betrayal was the most painful though, especially since he had let himself fall prey to her charms once again. She would be spared, of course, but not before he reminded her not to test him. While he had been stewing all night, he had formulated a plan to free himself, it was risky, but he was confident it would provoke the desired outcome. After what seemed like an eternity of pacing, he saw her vehicle round the corner and park in front, and then she ran up to the front door, sword in hand.

Hurriedly, she walked into the kitchen and paced back and forth as she tried to sound out the inscription on the sword. After a buzz resonated in the room, he saw Caroline fidget with her phone and then put it back into the pocket of her jeans before looking back up at him.

"I don't know what the heck this means." Caroline said in exasperation.

"It's Aramaic."

"Aramaic, well that's just great."

"Have no fear love, I just happen to speak it fluently, like so many other languages of this world I might add." Caroline held it out in front of him, but naturally from her safe position there was no way he could read the inscription.

"Bring it closer darling and I would be happy to help." As she leaned the sword forward to him he took the opportunity to jerk it as hard as possible and pull her into his grasp. Without thinking twice he wrapped his arms around her and bit into her neck before letting her fall to the floor. When he bent down to get the phone from her pocket and make his demands to the Bennett witch, a glint caught his eye around her neck.

It was one of his pendants. He had painted it after he and Elijah had ripped it from a panther they had hunted near the village, and he knew he had left it in his room. She must have grabbed it, but why? Maybe she was true to her words, maybe he hadn't been deceived. There was no other explanation, it was surely not a pretty or expensive trinket for someone to flaunt. He couldn't believe it: she did care for him. How he'd botched things up for himself this time, he'd had her without even knowing it.

The regret and shame filled him suddenly and the feeling was crushing. He felt the warm prickle of tears behind his eyes and tried with all of his strength to fight them, to no avail. Warm salty drops ran down his cheek and dripped onto her shirt, and he wiped them away quickly and tenderly took hold of her and cradled her in his arms. Hastily, he bit into his wrist and offered it to her mouth, shaking it in front of her until he was relieved to feel the suction of soft lips clasp around him and light flow back into her.

"I'm so sorry." He said softly to her. "You were right, I am a monster, why would you ever bother to care?"

"Because I can see through you, all the walls you put up and try to hide behind. Deep down you're just lonely, and scared of being alone like we all are, but I know there's still hope for you." She rasped back to him, before blacking out from the exhaustion and falling asleep while his blood healed her.

He didn't deserve her, but that wouldn't mean he would stop trying. With every fiber of his being he would try to be worthy of her affection. As he contemplated how he could redeem himself he saw her stir from the floor and get up.

In disgrace, Klaus approached her and presented the sword, bowing his head.

"It says that in order to find the cure, a powerful witch and a seasoned hunter are needed. Silas' body is on the far side and the cure will be in his hands. The top of the hilt is a key to a map. That should get them where they need to go." Hesitating in fear, she grabbed the sword from him and took a few steps away. What had he done? She was frightened of him.

"Please," he pleaded "forgive me for this. You don't have to now, but I will do everything I can to make it up to you." Her face softened and he lit up as she reached her hand out to touch his face, and then took a few steps back and turned away, surely to let her friends know the information they needed.

"And Caroline? There is only one more thing." Her ears perked up and she turned back to face him.

"There's only one dose of the cure." Her eyes opened wide in shock and she nodded and continued to move to the staircase. He never broke her gaze as she ascended the stairs up to Elena's room, and all he could do was anxiously wait to see what she would do next.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry for the delay, hopefully all of you have gotten a chance to melt at the epic Klaroline scene in the finale!

The next few days were mostly a blur. With all the rage of a typhoon, the others had returned only to bring with them news of Jeremy's death, Katherine's betrayal, Silas' awakening, Bonnie's spiral into darkness and Elena's breakdown. Whatever occasional sense of normalcy Caroline had left in her teenage years left the moment one of her own best friends tried to kill her. She had hardly had time to dwell on her situation with Klaus, which was strained to say the very least. Once Bonnie and her spell had fallen, Klaus had given her one look of apology and left the Gilbert house.

She and Klaus had managed to fantastically avoid each other for the past couple of weeks luckily. They were all trying to find Katherine, no doubt, either to bargain with her or club her over the head to get back the cure all of them were sacrificing so much for. She found herself lumped together with the others trying to perform damage control while Elena tore up the town. The only comfort she could find was drinking alcohol, which unfortunately at the moment, consisted of stale beer in red solo cups.

Elena's most recent endeavor had been throwing a massive house party at the Salvatore mansion, and as usual, Caroline was left cleaning up the mess. Stefan was outside on the phone, and if she focused her hearing she could pick up the conversation.

"New hair huh? That's not so bad. Just keep an eye out for her, and don't push too hard or she's going to go on the defensive, I've been there before." There was some muffled noise from who she presumed to be Damon and Stefan groaned.

"This isn't a competition, I know you've been there before too. Just try not to…leave too much of a body count." Caroline sighed and picked up some more empty cups and tossed them with annoyance into a brown plastic garbage bag.

"You know, you could always compel someone to do that for you," a voice purred from the corner. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of that voice, smooth as silk. He reached out to touch her, and at first she slightly leaned in, but then she drew back when she recalled the feeling of her non-human life slipping away in his arms. He looked ashamed and then cleared his throat.

"Desperate times, I take it?" He asked.

"What are you doing here Klaus?" She responded softly, barely higher than a whisper.

"You're compatriot asked for my help."

"Oh. Well if you don't mind, there's a half drank bottle of rum that's calling my name over there." Stefan took the cue to approach Klaus while she spirited herself away and went out to the backyard to get some air. It pained her, but she missed him. While a part of her was still confused by what he did, a part of her had hoped every day since that night that the phone would ring and it would be him. Every time the doorbell rang, she had secretly longed to open the door and have his eyes staring back at her. Instead there was nothing but silence, which had only made her all the more confused. Maybe he stopped caring for her, maybe it was all just part of a plan that she had become just a pawn in.

"Caroline?" Stefan called out from the back door, and she stood up with the bottle in one hand and the other hand shielding her eyes from the sun.

"We're going to go to Shane's office, might be something in there that can help us figure out what Silas is up to."

"Yeah, sure, whatever, not like Silas is crawling back into his cave anytime soon." Caroline swallowed the rest of the bottle and threw it into the trash with the rest of the garbage.

She could feel herself stewing in the car ride. Surely the alcohol was not helping, but how dare he not say a word to her for two weeks? After everything he did to her, he couldn't condescend to drop some sort of line? 'Hey Caroline, I miss you, I can't stop thinking about you.' That wasn't too much to ask was it? With Stefan's driving they reached creepy Shane's office in no time, and went straight to work digging through whatever they could find.

"If you catch anything, signs of where he was going with all this, just flag it down."

"I'll see what I can do, although I still don't quite understand why I care what Silas is up to?" He always had to get that last little quip in didn't he?

"Why you care, Klaus, is that if his little plan works and he gets the veil dropped then every person you ever killed comes back. I wonder what they'll decide to do?" Caroline nearly shouted it as she flipped through every book she could get her hands on, and she saw him cower a little bit at her defensive response.

"Ah, well, I suppose that is something of a reason now isn't it?" Caroline rolled her eyes and continued flipping angrily through books until she found something.

"Wait, look at this." She plopped the book down on the table and pointed.

"Something called an 'expression triangle', it draws power by using three sacrifices of twelve that occur in a triangle. The first is human, the second demons, the last…witches."

"So they're going to try to kill 12 witches." Klaus said nonchalantly.

"And it has to be in a location that forms an equilateral triangle with the other two. Get a map," Stefan pulled up a map on Shane's computer and printed it out. With a sharpie, he marked the location of the explosion and Klaus' hybrid killing rampage on the Lockwood Estate.

"So there are two options, it can either be here, or here," Stefan pointed to the two spots which formed a triangle.

"We split up."

"I'll take one," Klaus piped up behind them.

"Yeah right, I'm coming with you then. There's no way in hell I'd let you determine what happens to Bonnie."

"Fine by me," Klaus replied folding his arms and smirking in his typical annoying fashion.

"Alright, I'll take the other one then." Stefan replied, giving Caroline a concerned look but then reluctantly leaving her with Klaus.

They walked through the woods in silence, the tension in the air was palpable, and although Caroline's buzz had worn off she was still full of confusion and anger about their situation.

"Where is this place anyway, aren't we there yet?"

"Calm down love, not too much further."

"How did this happen anyway, how could Bonnie be so stupid? Silas has been playing her this whole time, and she just keeps eating up everything he's feeding her, like we could really bring Jeremy back."

"Is it really so hard to believe? That someone might be swayed by all the power there is to offer, getting what you want and not having to feel bad about it? You said it yourself, you like being more powerful."

"Not that way. If you go that far down the road there's no turning back, and before you know it, there's no one left and you're just alone." Caroline had gotten on her soap box and there was no getting down until she made her point. Klaus stared at her and gave a long look.

"That's really what you think?" Caroline paused and pursed her lips together.

"I felt differently before, but I can see things more clearly now, some people are just bad and there's no helping it." As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she regretted them, but the anger and stubbornness still coursing through her was too strong to apologize.

"We're here. No Bonnie. Guess we should head towards Stefan." Klaus told her in defeat, then in a wisp they headed in the opposite direction. They sped up as the flames of the circle came into focus, but Stefan caught them first, he was winded and spat out the words.

"It's too late, they're linked, Bonnie's going to kill them." Klaus moved towards Stefan and forcefully pushed.

"Not unless the witches spell works and it kills her first, otherwise Silas gets what he's after." Caroline's eyes opened in shock as she tried to assess what to do, it was her friend, she couldn't just stand there and let Bonnie die, she had to do something. Caroline didn't think twice as she saw the witch's dagger fly into the air, and she grabbed hold of it and forced it into the woman's chest. Still shaking from the rush, Caroline looked around as the remaining 11 witches fell limp to the ground, and Bonnie's glazed over eyes looked up to the sky and smiled as the triangle was completed. Somewhere in the distance she could hear Klaus yelling out in anger, but she just felt her trembling hands and put them to her mouth in horror at her actions.

As Klaus helped her bury the bodies she still felt like she was in some sort of daze, somewhere in between a dream and reality. Klaus was still angry with her from what she had said before, and she was sure destroying their opportunity to stop Silas wasn't helping either. For the time being, all she could do was stay in some numbing state of shock so all the emotions didn't overcome her.

"Are you happy now? Twelve graves, it could have just been one you know, but you just couldn't help yourself now could you?"

"She's my best friend, how could I just stand there and watch her die?" The tears began to fill her eyes as the full weight of her actions started to fall back into reality.

"Oh my god. I just killed twelve people." Klaus looked up at her and dropped the shovel, and for a brief second she thought she saw a glimmer of sympathy, but it quickly fizzled out.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just too much of a monster to care." Caroline stood in shock as his cruel eyes peered back at her. It felt like he had daggered her right then and there, and she fled as quickly as she could manage so she wouldn't let him see her cry.

Once she got far enough, she just walked deeper into the forest and wandered for what felt like an hour, still trying to fully grasp what had just happened. It had been awhile since she had taken a life, and the burden felt like a ton of bricks resting on top of her chest. What about their families? What about all the things in their life they had left to do? And what about Klaus? Surely if there was anything left he felt for her it was gone now, he had been so cold and distant, back to his old self.

The pain was too much, and she didn't want to turn into Elena, so she had to do something to make it bearable. As if hearing her thoughts, she happened upon a well traveled country road and saw signs for one of the small town bars not too far out of town. There was still a little blood on her hands, so she hastily tried to wipe it off on her pants as she walked in. A few of the local patrons gave her some whistles as she approached the bar.

"You sure you're 21 darlin'? I'm gonna need to see some ID." She looked deep into his eyes and gave him a coy smile as her pupils dilated.

"Oh, I'm sure. And isn't it just bad luck? I forgot to bring any money with me, but you're such a gentleman you'll get it for me won't you?" The bartender grabbed a glass and filled it with a Jack and Coke and slid it over to her.

"Don't worry honey, I've got you covered."

"Thanks," Caroline said with a smile and then raised her glass and emptied the contents. At least 3 or 4 more slid down her throat once the pain had numbed just enough to make things bearable. As the bartender filled up yet another, she gently twirled the glass on the table and let her other hand prop up her head on the counter.

"Way to go Caroline," she thought to herself. "One of your friends has gone off the deep end, the other is being controlled by some ancient evil being, your actual boyfriend wants nothing to do with you, you just alienated your would-be-sexy-evil-boyfriend, and now you can add serial killer to that list." Her phone buzzed and it was Stefan calling, yet again, but she pushed ignore.

"I'm a good girl aren't I Dale? I'm not a bad person?" She said into the bartender's dazed eyes.

"You're a good girl, and a good person." He said back to her, but she knew it was all a lie since it was just her own words she was projecting back at herself for reassurance.

"Fill it up again Dale," she said sliding the glass skillfully across the bar back to him.

"Better make that two…Dale is it?" Wow she really had had too much to drink, now she was hallucinating Klaus was there, maybe it was time to stop.

"Drowning your sorrows then is it, love?" Caroline looked up in shock as Klaus crept around her side and took a seat next to her, and she quickly grabbed his arm just to make sure he was real, to which he gave her a confused and concerned glance.

"Perhaps it's time to slow down, you're acting rather odd."

"Of all the bars in the world, you just HAD to walk into mine. Should I even ask how you found me?"

"You forget we've shared each other, I could track your smell for miles. Plus, I tapped into your phone's GPS when I took it from you." There was that delightful dimpled smile of his, she thought maybe she had lost it forever.

"You do realize that's extremely creepy don't you?"

"Creepy? No. Overly protective, yes, but not creepy."

"Why did you come back, I thought you hated me?" Caroline said sadly, peering back into her full glass.

"Perhaps I may have had it coming after what I did before, besides I don't know how I could ever hate you."

"I'm a serial killer." Klaus grabbed his glass from the bartender and raised it into the air to toast her.

"Welcome to my world darling, now we can really start to have some fun."


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: To the guest reviewer-thanks for your feedback, if you choose to keep reading I'd advise you to be patient, Caroline has been a stubborn character from day one and fiercely independent since she turned. While Klaus had already turned over a new leaf for her in season 3, she is still only now starting to warm up to the idea of him in season 4, my goal here has been to try to give glimpses of her starting to change herself by letting him in and realizing that she and her friends might not be as perfect as she's painted them out to be in her head

"I'm a serial killer." Klaus grabbed his glass from the bartender and raised it into the air to toast her.

"Welcome to my world darling, now we can really start to have some fun."

Klaus drank down the beverage and watched as Caroline did the same, and then started to wobble on her barstool. He reached out to catch her as she started to laugh hysterically. Well, at least he'd gotten her to laugh, that was a start.

"You've had too much to drink, I think it's time for me to take you home." She gave him a mysterious look back and laughed again.

"Your home or my home?" He'd be damned if he wasn't tempted, but after tonight's events, he had a feeling it was not the best idea in the world.

"I think after today I'd better just take you back to your home, love." He saw her pout in protest, but didn't give her too long to try to dissuade him and picked her up in his arms in one fell swoop. As they made their way out the front door, they drew the attention of the bar patrons and Caroline giggled and waved at them from over Klaus' shoulder. Setting her down, he opened the car door and placed her inside. After a few minutes of giggling, he watched her grow silent and look down at her feet, seemingly sobering up a bit from before.

"Listen I'm, I'm sorry about what I said before, it wasn't true. I was mad that you didn't call." Klaus felt himself tense a little as he remembered the harsh sting of her words earlier, but he was happy she was recanting.

"I thought you didn't want me to call. You could have rang me up too you know."

"How could I? Tyler, and the lying, and my part in everything with your brother," Caroline pulled at her hair with both hands and then took a deep breath. Klaus had been trying to put Kol aside in his head, the truth was difficult to bear, and he had not yet accepted that he was gone forever. Although Kol liked to be a nuisance, he was still his brother, and one of his siblings that actually knew how to relax and have a good time. He felt the rage boil inside of him, but he knew who was really behind it, and they would pay soon enough.

"My friends have all been trying to convince me that they know what's right. That we're trying to help people and protect innocent lives. But where are they at now? Elena is…is some sort of bizarre version of Katherine that's even more heartless, Bonnie is working with dark magic, Damon's past isn't exactly clean, Stefan is only recently back to normal after going all 'Ripper' on everybody. And I just killed TWELVE people." Klaus kept driving as Caroline started piecing together her alcohol induced epiphany. He wanted to offer his full attention, so he pulled over the car by Wickery Bridge.

"You know what? To hell with them. I'm done with it. We've all got blood on our hands now, and I'm not going to keep depriving myself of what I want just to help Elena from who they all keep telling me is bad."

"And what is it that you want?" Klaus said softly, hopefully. Caroline turned to him and nearly shouted in exasperation.

"You Klaus. You make me forget all of this craziness going on, when I'm with you it's just…fun and wonderful…and it feels right. I want you. I. Want. You."

His shocked glance only had a second to register before she captured him in a strong kiss and moved over the seat to straddle him. It seemed like the two of them couldn't get their clothes off fast enough, even with heightened vampire speed. Her hands were roaming over all of him, trying to remember where everything was, and rubbing gently in his small tuft of chest hair. Growls rippled through him as his inner wolf tried to surface, burrowing into her neck to take in her scent and then following with his mouth to recall the taste that had been gone for far too long.

Klaus let one of his fingers graze over her shoulder and slide down one of her bra straps, making the movement as slow as possible to tease her. The move worked and she moaned in frustration before showing him the same courtesy as she unzipped his pants and then went in to nibble at one of his earlobes. In response, he flipped her over to take back control, his inner alpha wanting to claim what was rightfully his.

"Don't worry darling, I'll make you forget all about them. By the time I'm done with you, my name will be the only thing in that pretty head of yours." Fangs bared he looked down at her and lustful eyes gazed back, eager for him to keep his promise.

Breathless and half naked, the two of them lay on top of the hood of the car, gazing up at the sky.

"Having a romp in the backseat, well at least I can say I'm contributing to your high school experience."

"Yeah right, I don't think most people's high school experiences include werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. I don't even have a date to my own senior prom." He saw her beautiful face drop down for a brief moment before she reclined back again on the hood of the car and looked up at the stars.

"Prom you say? I'm vaguely familiar with the tradition, but it's still a bit confusing to me." She looked up at him with pleading eyes, and it took him a second to register where she was going.

"You don't have to, I'm sure it won't be half as glamorous as what you're used to." Her flustered response amused him and he responded politely.

"I'd be delighted to. If there's one thing we serial killers know how to do, it's have a good time. What better way to stick it to your would be friends than to show up with the likes of me?" This seemed to please her a great deal and she gave a big laugh before reclining with her hands behind her head.

"You are definitely right about that."

"Should I take you back home, that was the original plan wasn't it? It seems you've made me forget." Caroline paused.

"You know what? I'm not really tired. I am thirsty though."

"Well, I think you may have drank all that was left at that bar, so we might have to find something else."

"No, I'm thirsty for something else, something warmer." Klaus felt weary and raised an eyebrow back at her.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. You've had enough excitement for one night."

"Yeah? And you know what? I hate myself for liking it." She chided herself as she pulled her shirt back on and fixed her hair.

"Why? You said it yourself, none of them are perfect. So live your immortal life as you choose. But I do insist I take you back home tonight. However I can promise you a prom you and your friends won't soon forget." Caroline contemplated for a second and a devilish smile spread wide across her face before she pivoted and walked around to his side of the car. Klaus was surprised when she nudged past him to the door and frowned slightly.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" He questioned, brows furrowed.

"I'm driving." She stated plainly.

"Love, no one drives my car but me." Klaus replied agitated, he was protective of his prized vehicles, and he didn't know that he trusted her with it.

"That's what you think," she said quickly jumping into the driver's seat and starting the engine, he had to rush over and practically jump in the passenger door before she sped away. She laughed and squealed as she sped the car over Wickery Bridge and nearly sent it sailing through the air.

"Easy, this is a rare vehicle darling, they only made 'bout a hundred of these and this is one of only ten left in the world."

"Oh come on Klaus, loosen up." After a few minutes of white-knuckles, Klaus saw his mansion up in the distance.

"I thought we were taking you back to your mother's house." Caroline parked the car in front of the house and went over to the passenger side door after Klaus had opened it to let himself out.

"Didn't I tell you?" She said grabbing him by the shirt and backpedaling towards the front door.

"I'm not tired yet."


End file.
